First Day at School

“No, I don’t want to go today.” “Nothing happens on the first

day”. “Why the schools open so early?” And then the long

faces from the time they are getting ready to the time they

are off to school. The parents can totally agree with this

scenario for the first few days or weeks. The First-day jitters

are not uncommon. The anxious faces full of unknown fear,

the perplexity or the inner turmoil of these young ones

make everyone’s heart melt. Though the concerned staff

members immediately make it a point to put them at ease

however the anxiousness takes time to recover. The first

week normally is emotionally challenging for both the child and

the parents. But slowly and gradually it goes on decreasing

till the time the child is adjusting with his/her surroundings.

The children after spending a comfortable 1.5 to 2 months at

home find it difficult to instantly cope up for a minimum of 5-7

hours with total strangers. The task goes humongous when

everything is put into a certain time frame and they are

expected to finish the given task within the same.

Some common queries that we come across are:

i) Where will my class be?
ii) Who would be my class teacher?
iii) How would she/he be?
iv) Will my friends be in my section?
v) Will I fit in?
vi) What would be the level of studies?
vii) Will I be able to cope up or not?
viii) What about the extracurricular activities?

The Preparation:

1. Make them go around the school once or twice
beforehand so that they are aware of the school
campus. If necessary, make them meet their class
teacher prior to Day 1.

2. Set a routine for them at least a week before. Waking up,
eating, playing and sleeping in a planned manner.

3. See to it that they have packed everything properly.
Note: Not to forget the school diary.

4. Don’t overemphasize their fears. Talk to them casually
focusing on positive aspects.

5. Make sure they attend the school on the 1 st day. Giving
in to their fears will only allow them to develop a habit
of running away from what they feel fearful or anxious
too.

6. Keep a reassuring note in your child’s lunch box which
would cheer him/her up and steer the day through.

7. Most importantly inform the teacher about his/her
anxiety issues. The teacher would then know how to
tackle your child the whole day.

Children can be categorized according to their characters.
They can be confident or timid. They can be strong or

sensitive, outgoing or introvert but one thing is sure that if
they are anxious they just need somebody to hold their hand
and calm them down. And it gives us tremendous happiness
when we see calm and composed faces doing their work with
utmost sincerity.