Does your child have first day of school jittters? Do you?

Hopefully, you have been talking to your child about the first day of school and how exciting it will be. Well, maybe not so exciting for you as you dress your little one, holding back tears with a really big grin on your face. Not too big though, kids are smart. For most school starts in September, so you still have a couple of weeks to practice smiling and being cheerful about your baby taking that first step away from the nest.

    Here are some things you and your child can do to he lp make this transition smoother:

Two weeks before

.  Make a cute calendar with countdown days.  Any plain calendar page will do or make your own, show the daya/date and add small graphics; Smilies are fun to use. Try this site http://www.clicksmilies.com/ or check out one that is similar. When you find a site you like, print the page of smilies and let your child cut them out paste on a I’m a Big Girl/Boy calendar. Later you can keep the calendar as a keepsake.

• Start practicing with the alarm clock. Send your kids to bed at their regular school-night time, and start getting them up early. Explain that everyone needs to adjust to a new schedule.

• Practice the school bus run. Describe the bus route for your children, including where the bus goes and how long it takes to get to school. Talk about what they can do on the bus to occupy their time.

• Take a tour of the school. Make arrangements with the school, and show your children their classrooms, the cafeteria, and bathrooms.

The day before
• Lay your child’s school clothes out. With your child, select outfits for the first week so there’s no anxiety about clothes in the morning.

• Pack up the night before. Get your children’s books, lunch money, and school supplies ready to go before they go to bed.

• Send your child to school with a photo. A family photo or a reassuring note in a child’s lunch can help ease separation anxiety.

The first day
• Send a note to the teacher? This is a definate ‘maybe.’ This lets children introduce themselves to their new teacher. Talk about what they like to play and their favorite foods. Make this a short note. Remember, short note. You may want to include a picture. When your childs teacher calls him or her by name, there will be an instant bond.

• Get them on the bus. If your children will be taking the bus to school, don’t drive them the first day, wait with them for the school bus. Help them get used to the trip right away.

• Remember bus numbers. Calm children’s fears by going over the bus number and reminding them that their teachers will make sure they get on the right bus.