Your children’s first day at school can be a nerve-racking experience for both you and your children. In order to keep your children organized and make the experience a little less frightening, it is a good idea to prepare your children with a first day of school checklist. This checklist covers the basic information as well as safety and emergency preparedness.
- Make sure your children know their teachers’ names. This will help ease the fears of not knowing where to go. If your children get lost, another teacher can easily guide your children to the right place. If your children happen to forget their teachers’ names, they can still get help from another teacher who will likely guide them to the main office.
- Most schools send home a checklist of items that children will need to bring on their first day of school. Review the checklist and pack your children’s backpack a few days before school begins. You can double-check the backpack the night before to ensure your children have not removed any of the items.
- Sit down with your children and give them a preview of what the first day will be like. While you may not be able to remember as far back as your first day of kindergarten, as a parent your children rely on you to ease any fears they may have. Allow your children to ask questions about their first day at school and answer them as best as you can.
- Make sure your children have an emergency contact card to present to the teachers. This card is important because it will have all of the necessary information for your children’s school to contact you should they need to. Also ensure that your children know or have your home phone number written down. This way they can contact you if the need arises.
- Many children are nervous about going to a new place. One of the things you can do to reassure them is to take them to school on the first day. Many employers understand the need to be there with your children. They often make allowances, if you notify them ahead of time that you need to be a little late.
- If you cannot take your children to school, you have a couple of options. You may want to ask friends to take your children when they take their own. Another option would be to plan a visit to the school before the first day. Many schools hold a “meet the teachers day” before school starts. If they do, take advantage of the opportunity. Generally speaking, this is a very relaxed time and you can leisurely explore the school with your children.
The first day of school is a big day for you and your children. The key to a calm and successful first day of school is preparation. You can use this first day of school checklist to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases before the big day arrives.
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