The most exciting and scary time of your child's lifetime is when they have their first day of school. As a loving parent, you want to protect them from everything, but also give them skills to overcome adversity.

You can't keep them from attending school, of course, but you can help prepare them for this big day. How? Well, keep reading for some tips that will help them start a new school with flair and without stress. 

1. Visit the School Beforehand

The fear of the unknown is probably your child's biggest concern, so visiting the school beforehand could alleviate some of their worries and anxieties.

Make a full day of it, where you pack lunch, walk around the school, and then perhaps have lunch at their favorite restaurant. This should associate positive memories with the new school and get them excited about it all.

2. Speak to Your Child About the First Day of School

Have a sit-down conversation with your child. Don't put pressure on them to get excited about the new experience, but ask them how they feel instead. 

The process can begin by you offering them their favorite snack and then sitting down to have a conversation without any distracting tech. Venting to you might help them feel a bit less afraid of this new step in their life.

You can also share your own first-time experience of starting a new school or a new job and how you were nervous as well. This might make them feel better that they aren't the only ones worried about starting school. 

3. Go School Shopping To Get Them Excited
   
   

Set up an outing where you go school shopping with your child, designating certain items to be used only for school, like backpacks, stationery, pencil cases, and uniforms.

It should stoke some excitement in them and get them more prepared for the adventure to come. 

4. Read Books That Are All About Starting a New School
   
   

Add reading books about starting school into your summer preparedness plan. There are many books out there about characters starting their first day of kindergarten, elementary school, or high school. So there's something for every age group.

Knowing that other children (even if just in books) have gone through this experience in the past should help them feel better about their own upcoming encounters. You can even ask them what they thought about the book and how it relates to their feelings about starting school.

The First Day of School Brings up All the Feels

You don't want to send your child into any new experience without some preparation beforehand. Following the tips laid out above should help them feel less anxious about the first day of school.

If you wish to learn more about a school based on true French Catholic values, then set up a tour of Conseil Scolaire Catholique De District Des Grandes Rivières (CSCDGR) today.