6 Tricks to Get Your Child Excited to Start School
Make him/her Familiar With the School: The first day at school should not be the first day your child sees the school. Talk about it early and if possible drive by or walk by the school, with your child, once a day, for at least a month so that he/she gets to visualize. If you get access to the playground or get a peek in the classrooms then it is even better. But that ideally cannot be done on an everyday basis and for that reason you talk with your little one about how happy the other children in the school are and how he/she will enjoy playing in the ground.
Avail any Kind of Orientation Program: It will be unwise to avoid any orientation program arranged by the school. It is likely that your child might not fully enjoy or get involved in the program but nonetheless it will be an opportunity for you to spend some time with your child, inside the premises of the school. This will make your child feel more secure when he/she will enter the school on his/her own.
Facilitate Bonding with the Teacher: It will be great if you can make your child meet his/her teacher in advance before your child’s first day at school. All kids need to feel connected with their teacher in order to feel more comfortable and adjusted in the classroom environment. However, even if you can’t make your child meet the teacher before the start of the session, you can always make an appointment together so that your child also gains the knowledge that you two (the teacher and you) know each other and so he/she can feel safe while spending time with the teacher.
Encourage Your Child To Make Friends: It is important that your ask your child about the friends he/she made in the school and encourage him/her to mix more. Ask your child what he/she did in school and how did he/she play with the friends. Listening to stories of friends and the school is a great way to make your child comfortable in school. Before joining the school you can always look out for other children in your neighbourhood who are going to join and you can introduce them so that none of them feels like being in a strange environment on the first day or week.
Practice Good-Bye: Perhaps the biggest challenge would be to say goodbye while leaving your child behind at school. Try to practice small separation period by saying good-bye to your child and then by hugging him/her and promising a return time. Promising the return time is a very critical factor as that is what you should ideally say last while dropping your child to school. In order to soothe the tantrums or any other outbursts it is advised that you make your child hold some token like a photo of you or his/her favorite soft-toy which will help him/her carry a piece of “home” in school.
Check whether you can Walk him/her to Class: If your child is having a hard time saying good-bye you can ask permission from the teacher to walk him/her till the class. In this way your little one will get more comfortable and get adjusted with much more ease.
Remember that your child will not feel motivated or excited about school all on his/her own. It will take time and patience to make him/her feel the enthusiasm. Always avoid saying anything negative about schools or studies and focus on the positive aspects of schooling. Keep on telling him/her that how fun it will be in school the next day and also you can arrange little role play where you can tell him/her to be the teacher and you become his/her student in order to make it more fun for your child.
