How to prepare for the first day of primary school
Whether you’ve done it multiple times or this is your first, preapring your child for their first day of Primary School isnt the easiest task. You want it to be as seemless as possible but as we know with kids, that may not always be the case.
What we can however do, is prepare what we need to and accept and overcome whatever obsicles are thrown at us, including those 7am tantrums from a kid whos used to having a luxurious sleep in.
Be maluable and adaptable with your preperations and remember that you’re not expected to tick every single box when it comes having a smooth school preperation.
You know your little one best so pick what kind of preperation your child needs and work with them to get things organised. From uniform, sleeping and waking up on time to school lunches, kids want to be involved, so lets let them. Excitement mixed in with nerves are probably what you and your child is feeling at the moment (and for those nonchalont kids, kudos to them) so by involving them in the preparation, we set them up for success. Feeling as though they’re involved and responsible gives them the tools and confidence they’ll need for primary school.
Here is a list of top 4 things we think is most important for preparing:
School Uniforms
As we know, growing kids can be stressful to buy clothes for let alone a School Uniform that they’ll be wearing every day. Timing this to be organised before school starts whilst still needing the uniform to fit your child can be like a pressure cooker but you got this! Organise the uniform early enough and remember your child will continue to grow throughout the year, so grab a couple sizes whilst you’re uniform shopping.
Now for the best part in our opinion, the school shoes!
School shoes can hard to buy when your childs feet keep on growing, but here is a breakdown that might simplyfy the process.
AGES: 4-6 (childrens feet grow on an average of 1mm per month in length)
AGES: 6-10 (childrens feet grow somewhat less than 1mm a month)
In saying this, for children starting primary school (4-5 years old), you need a pair of school shoes that can last up 4-6 months meaning, you might need to re-measure your childs feet mid-term and grab a new pair around June/July.
Organising books and all Stationairy
That dreaded stationary list doesn’t need to be left last minute and can be organised weeks before school starts. Involving your child gives them the confidence in their decision making skills, interpersonal and social skills and lets you bond/learn about your child.
Preparing lunches:
You want your children to come home at the end of their school day with an empty lunchbox so learn the sort of snacks and lunch foods they’ll eat. It’s not always a simple task convincing your children to eat their fruit or veggies, but there’s always ways to make them fun or conceal them all together. They’ll never know you’re hiding veggies in that muffin.
Think of simple and quick things you can pack and give your little one options and let them make decisions on what special treat they want that that day/week. Let them pick their favourite lunchbox and get them excited about being responsible for bringing it home everyday.
Getting into a routine
Get into a routine if you can of waking up at a specific time, sleeping at a certain time, reading regularly, writing and eating on time… In any order you wish of course!. This helps your child feel as though they’ve already started these habits so primary school isnt such a major shock and disturbance to their every day routine.
Remember, the first day of primary school is daunting for you and your kid so you’re not alone. Reach out and ask friends, family, collegues or your local post office employee for more tips and tricks on primary school preperations. You’ve got this!