Prepare their uniform and bag
The first thing you should do prior to their first day is prepare their bag and school uniform. Ensure their pencil case has all the stationery they’ll need, pack their bag with all the necessary books and papers they’ll need, and have it all ready for your child when they wake up. In the morning, pack their lunch and give them a balanced meal. It should include something like a sandwich, some salad, a treat and a drink. You can never check too many times, so triple or quadruple check if you have to. Make sure you also label everything that your child takes to school—even their uniform!
Don’t take your child to school
It sounds counter productive and many parents would be terrified to send their child to school alone, but it’s important that you trust your child assuming they’re old enough. If it helps, ask a friend or a neighbour with a child that attends the same school to go together with your child. This will help them make friends and give them the independence they need to thrive later on in life.
Get a good night’s sleep
If you’re nervous about your child’s first day, then it’ll be hard to imagine what it’s like for your child. Remain calm and get a good night’s rest before the big day so you can shake off all the nerves. The last thing you want is for your child to be so nervous that they can’t even sleep properly. This will result in a bad mood when they wake up, and they’ll lack the energy needed to make a great first impression on their first day at school.
Meet with teachers
If you want to get to know the teachers your child will be studying under, then make sure you visit the school together prior to the first day. If possible, give the school a call and arrange a home visit. This is a service that not every school can offer, but if it’s possible it’ll make your child look forward to their first day and they’ll be a little more comfortable around their new teacher.
Study together and prepare
Whether it’s going through the alphabet again or learning some basic math, study with your child before their first day to ensure they’re confident enough to understand what will be going on inside the class. Building up your child’s knowledge early on can give them a huge boost of confidence when they start studying in class, but remember not to overload them with knowledge that’s far beyond what they will be learning in school.