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Preparing Your Children for their First Day of School

July 3, 2018

As a parent, it’s truly amazing how fast time flies. It feels like only yesterday you were bringing your newborn baby back home yet, somehow, they are already grown up enough for their first day at school, ready to face one of their first milestones in life. For parents, it can be a day filled equally with pride but also sadness, watching them, teary-eyed, walk into their first class but, as always, your job as a parent never stops. Months before your child has even begun thinking about school, you need to be on the ball and getting things sorted to make their first day of school as smooth as possible. This post will give you some ideas of where to start and what to do so you can remember the wonderful day stress-free.

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Tips on buying school uniform

The dreaded day you must bundle your child into the car and get their school uniform is one few parents look forward to. Bustling around the over-crowded shops, trying on every item of the uniform in multiple sizes, and then getting hit with the overpriced bill at the end couldn’t be further away from the fun weekends you were hoping for. The first thing to do to combat this difficult task is to take advice from other parents, especially those who have done the uniform shop before. For example, many schools insist on buying the entire uniform from specialised shops, which tend to over-charge. One way around this is to buy items like trousers, skirts, and shirts, that do not require any school logos, from the high street. When children are young, they get through clothes quickly, if not by growing then certainly by playing, so there is no point in breaking the bank when you can find cheaper alternatives from the get-go.

The tools of learning

Your kids first day at school will most likely be their first experience of proper study, and for this, they will need the proper tools to excel and take the notes. Also, you will need the tools to help them go to school as smoothly as possible, so it is very important you research everything both you and your child need before hitting the shops. A good way to start is to have a checklist for their pencil case, which you can find online or perhaps the school may even provide you with one, before going down to your local stationers. While you may want to let your child pick out a pencil case with some cool design, you can then buy pens and pencils to fill it that are cheap and reliable rather than splashing on branded items. A must-have for yourself is a water-proof marker so that all your child’s uniform and bags can be clearly labelled with their name and address.

Affording the essentials

One difficult reality of sending your children to school, of course, is the sheer cost of buying all the essentials for them. The schools will provide you with lists as long as your arm with what seems like every possible item they could think of. Buying all of this can be costly, and there is nothing wrong with seeking some financial help, in fact, it is often the smart thing to do. The solution that this article would suggest is to seek a fair and reliable, personal loan to help cover the ever-increasing costs. Finding a personal loan, like Solcredito, will allow you to spread the total price of sending your little one to school over several pay-checks which will allow you peace of mind, in the long run, taking away from the initial monetary stresses.

Keeping healthy

One thing you definitely want for your children is for them to be happy and healthy. A big part of achieving this in their young lives is providing them with a balanced and nutritious lunch to take to school. Providing your kids with a balanced lunchbox will not only set them up for the full days of learning and making friends, but also physically help them to retain information. The most important component is to provide them with a water bottle, so they remember to stay hydrated all day, which will help them avoid headaches and keep them going during sporting activities. Food wise, provide them with two pieces of fruit ideally, something hearty and filling like a sandwich, and then, by all means, give them one chocolatey treat to look forward to once they’ve eaten the rest of their meal.

Friends for life

It is at school where people start to make friends for life, perhaps these are friends you still hang out with even now, who you met all those many years ago at school, and you hope that your child will have the same experience of meeting lots of other kids they will get on with for years. However, starting school can be an intimidating and scary prospect for some children who are naturally a little shyer and a consequence of this is it may take them longer to make friends. This can sadly lead to those first few weeks at school being lonely, but there are things you can do as a parent to help your child socialise effectively. One simple way of doing this is not to over-react if your child says they haven’t made any friends yet. Instead, sit them down and talk through how this is perfectly normal and that they will make friends in their own time. Another tip is to ask helpful and encouraging questions, such as, what have you done to try to make friends? Did that go well? What do you think you should do next? Not only will this gives you a better picture of your child’s social life, but it will also give them the tools to work through this difficult stage by themselves, making them emotionally mature and ready for anything.

With all these tips and tricks in mind, you are ready to send your child off to school!

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