11 tips to prepare for your first school year

Tell him about D-Day a few days before and prepare him in advance

In order for your child to feel ready, it is essential to tell them about their return to school a few days before. No need to talk about it sooner, because toddlers are unable to anticipate events well in advance. Get him used to the place, walk once or twice the path you will take with him to go to school. Circle the back-to-school date on the calendar and count the days left until the big day. To motivate him, you can buy him a nice satchel or a backpack that pleases him. Reading a few books on the theme of back to school and school will familiarize them with their future world and remove their fears. The day before the start of the school year, prepare the clothes he likes so that he feels as comfortable as possible!

Promote its new status of “big”

To boost his self-confidence,do not hesitate to value the important course he is about to take : “The great secret of life is to become great. By entering school you will become a grown-up, you will learn a lot of exciting things, new games too. You can make your dreams come true, become a doctor, an airline pilot, or any other job that appeals to you. “Making the link between school and dreams for the future is motivating for a little one. And if he is a little jealous of the little brother or sister who will stay at home with mom, add a layer: “School is for adults, toddlers will continue to play at school. house like babies, while you will learn a lot of things. The game is fun and it’s great, but school begins the real life of a grown-up ! »

Explain the schedule for a day

Like any novice, your little one needs clear information. Use simple words: “You will experience your first day of school, you will meet other children and most of all, you will learn great things that will help you when you grow up.” ” Describe the precise course of a school day, the activities, meal times, naps and mothers. Who will accompany him in the morning, who will pick him up. Explain to him what is expected of a kindergarten student: he must be clean, know how to dress and undress without help, put on and take off his shoes on his own, go to the bathroom to wash his hands after the toilet and before meals in the canteen, recognize their labels and take care of their belongings.

Anticipate what may be difficult for him

Positive school, say how great it is, we know how to do it, but it is important to also prepare it to manage certain difficulties, certain frustrations, because all is not rosy in the land of Care Bears! Try to imagine all the situations that may be more difficult for a toddler to deal with. One of the major difficulties will be to accept that at school the adults present are not at his disposal, that there is only one teacher or one teacher for twenty-five children and that he will have to wait. his turn to speak. Be careful, however, not to project your bad experiences too much on him! Was your middle school mistress terrible? It will surely not be the case for him!

Talk to him about the rules and constraints of the school

There are now two worlds for your little one: at home where he chooses the activities he wants to do, and at school where he must agree to do activities that he has not necessarily chosen. Don’t “sell” him school as a permanent hobby, talk to him about the constraints. In class, we do what the teacher asks, when she asks, and we can’t “zap” if we don’t like it! Another sensitive subject: the nap. In small section, it takes place in the early afternoon, and even if he does not do it at home, he will have to comply with this routine. Finally, explain to him that in the canteen, he will have to eat what is offered, and not necessarily his favorite dishes!

Tell him what you liked about school

Nothing is more motivating for a child than the enthusiasm of his parents. Tell her what you loved to do in preschool when you were little : play cat at recess, draw pretty pictures, learn to write your first name, listen to great stories. Tell him about your friends, the teachers who marked you, who helped and encouraged you, in short, evoke the positive memories that will make him want to live these enriching experiences too.

Don’t get ahead of the learning curve

If you make him do graphic design or math exercises before he even sets foot in school, he will bother! No need to cut corners. School is the place of school learning. At home, we learn values, sharing, respect for others … Trust the teachers, they know their stuff. But don’t ask them to adjust to your child’s pace. The school program is not à la carte and it is he who will have to be able to adapt to the rhythm of the group.

Teach him to protect himself from others

At school he will make friends, that’s for sure. But IIt is also important to prepare him to be around students he does not know and who will not necessarily be nice. He may be confronted with mockery, grimaces, aggression, heckling, disobedience, Provocation… Of course, there is no question of giving him a negative picture of what awaits him, but to facilitate self-acceptance, it is better to talk to him about his peculiarities or physical peculiarities which could possibly inspire mockers! If he is small or very tall, if he wears glasses, if he is a little coated, if he has a rare hair color, if he is rather slow, dreamy or on the contrary very active and restless, if he is shy and blushes easily… others are likely to point it out to him! This is why it is necessary to speak about it beforehand with him in all sincerity and to give him a means of defending himself: “As soon as a child makes fun of you, you cut it short and you leave. You will quickly see a nice friend! You can also report it to the caregiver. And if there isn’t an adult at school you can talk to about it, tell us about it in the evening after school. ” It is essential that your child understands from kindergarten that he must talk to his parents about all daily incidents that he faces at school.

Develop your social intelligence

Making new friends is one of the great pleasures of school. Teach him to observe other children, to reach out to those who smile, to offer games to those who are open, sympathetic and who want to play with him. Another difficulty is to accept the group, to find oneself among all the others and to be confronted for the first time with children, some of whom will be more gifted in drawing, more agile, more comfortable to express themselves. , faster in the race… We will also have to teach him the notion of sharing. No need to address your child as an adult, to inflict moralizing speeches on generosity. At his age, he is not able to understand these abstract notions. It is through actions that he can integrate the notions of sharing and solidarity. Play board games with him, ask him to draw a picture for someone else, to give one of his cookies to a friend in the square, to set the table, to bake a cake for the whole family …

Prepare for this change too

The first school year is an important existential milestone in the life of a toddler, but also in that of his parents. It’s a sign that the page is turning, that the ex-baby has become a child, that he detaches himself little by little, that he grows, becomes more autonomous, less dependent, that he socializes and moves forward on the path of his own life. It’s not that easy to accept and sometimes you have to fight against nostalgia for the very first years… If he feels your reserve and your slight sadness, if he feels that you are leaving him at school a little reluctantly, he will not be able to invest his new school life with 100% enthusiasm and motivation.

Don’t convey negative emotions

Back to school can be a tough time for your child, but it can be for you too! If you are not excited about his future class or his future class, do not show it especially to your child, who risks assimilating your disappointment. Ditto for tears. Sometimes, as a parent, seeing your little one pass through the gates of the school causes emotion or sadness. Wait until he is home before you let the tears flow so as not to make him sad too!