Your child’s first day at school, primary or secondary, can be quite a nerve-wracking experience…not just for them but for you too! Hey, it’s an understandable emotion! For those of us reading (and writing this), having been through this personally. We totally get the space you’re in at the moment where you don’t know what quite to expect: what will happen, how things will pan out and what your child’s takeaway experience will be. Much like your first day on a modelling assignment, your first day at a club or your first day of anything.
Models Direct has some great tips to share which will help make the first day of school a positive journey and memorable experience. Here’s how you can help your mini-me or tween to get the best out of their first day.
Get a good night’s sleep
Sleep is vital. You already know that – it’s talked about (and written about) so often but we had to put it at the top of our list. Your child needs a good night’s sleep before their first, second, third or any day for that matter, particularly after a long summer where their routine might have fallen a touch out of sync. You can help by talking and setting up an early bedtime routine for them. Hopefully, their body clock will readjust to the new change fairly quickly.
Are school essentials all ready?
Hands up, anyone who left their kids’ school essentials till the last minute? Did you encounter the, “email me when it’s back in stock” option when you were looking for uniform? Yup, we’ve been there too, unfortunately. It’s best to start picking up items as early as the beginning of August to slowly get through your list of stuff to avoid the out-of-stock dilemma. Getting all the school essentials rounded up in advance will make the first day at school run much smoother.
Comfy footwear
It’s a given that footwear needs to be as comfortable as possible, especially for those little (or big) feet that’ll be walking around school premises and in the playground majority of the day. Make sure your child breaks into new shoes at home so that they’re used to them – it’ll be one less thing to worry about for the first day.
Get there early
Getting late for school (even if you want to after the weeks off for the summer) might not be the best way to kick-start your first day. If you’re planning on taking your child to school, they go with mates or travel solo, be sure to wake them up early so that they have plenty of time to prep and arrive on time.
Stay calm & smile
At the best of times, it’s hard to stay calm and remember to smile especially when anything new can cause some degree of stress. Ask your child to practise breathing exercises especially if they feel anxious, and not to forget to smile.
We hope your child settles into school well. They’ll enjoy their time building new friendships and learning new content and concepts. MD hope these tips help and hopefully, they’ll look forward to going to school!
