How To Deal With Your Toddler's First Day At School?

Since the birth of your little one, you and him/her have always been an inseparable pair. It’s been a couple of years to your child’s birth and now it is time that he/she starts going to school and believe us when we say that the initial days can be tough for both of you.

The anxiety of separation sets in you first since you will be knowing beforehand when your child will begin his/her academic journey and tears start filling in your eyes since your little one will start being away from you for a couple of hours, which will seem like a lot more to handle in real.

Not just you, even your toddler will cry his/her lungs out when bidding you goodbye on his/her first day at school and it will not be a cheerful moment to witness. But here are some tips that you can read which will make it easier for your child to settle in on his/her first day at school.

1. Since preschool consists of small activities filled with fun, you can introduce some of them to your toddler way before school starts, such as drawing and painting, which he/she will begin enjoying in comfortable settings and will not feel naïve to the same when school begins.
2. Both of you can visit your child’s classroom before school begins to familiarize him/her with the settings
3. Have your child meet his/her teacher so that he/she starts to get comfortable with the teacher and not feel nervous around
4. Do not rush through the mornings as it will only scare your child but rather keep things normal
5. You can arrive at the school with your toddler a bit early so your child can settle in before the school starts, which will make him/her less anxious
6. If your toddler’s preschool allows him/her to bring a comfort object such as a small stuffed toy or a blanket, you can pack it in your child’s bag for his/her convenience. This will help your toddler remain calm throughout the new settings of the school
7. You need to put on a happy face no matter how sad or scared you are within of having to be away from your child for a few hours every day. If you are presenting yourself as calm and happy, the same will reflect on your child. You obviously don’t want a cranky little one going to school on the first day
8. Once you get your cue of moving out of the classroom, you can kiss and hug goodbye to your little one but make sure to keep it short and simple, hold your tears back as you don’t want your toddler to start crying and make things complex. You must immediately leave or if possible wait outside until the school ends but do not hover around as it will only make your child feel insecure. Let him/her know when you will be back for pick up and leave his/her sight for the good

Remember that it is normal for a toddler to cry and cling on to his/her parents on the first day of school. But your child will be fine within a couple of minutes once you leave out of his/her sight as the teacher will take over. You need not worry as teachers see a lot of these during the initial days of school and are better at handling the toddlers with some help. Your child will take some time to settle in but do not make his/her job tough by hovering around for a long period of time.

Just be calm and happy and calm down your toddler too as he/she is sure going to have a lot of fun in school. You will soon be surprised to have a happy little feet running back to you once the school hours end.