First-day jitters common for students, parents

By Faith Peppers
University of
Georgia

The new clothes are bought. Bright, white sneakers are out of
the box. A whole new stash of crayons, markers and folders are
dutifully labeled. Everyone is ready for the first day of
school. Or are they?

University of Georgia experts say the jitters can affect kids
of all ages.

“Among 5- to 8-year-olds, parents may see regressive behaviors,
meaning behaviors that your child probably outgrew a few years
ago but tend to reappear when the child is feeling stress,”
said Don Bower, an Extension child development specialist with
the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Your child may cling to you, carry around a favorite toy or get
teary or slow to comply with requests.

“Among older school-agers, watch for more obvious resistance to
going back to school, such as various excuses and upset
tummies,” Bower said.

Stress signs

For some kids, the first day of school is the thrill of finally
getting on that big, yellow bus and heading off into the big
world. For others, that big, scary world is a fright. But all
feel a certain amount of stress.

“Children learn stress management skills from watching others
and practicing various approaches,” Bower said. “Whining and
fussiness are early favorites and will likely continue unless
parents ignore them. Lots of emotional support, encouragement
and recognition from parents and teachers will help build
stress resilience in children.

“Children are very attuned to the emotional environment in
their families,” he said. “If parents are apprehensive,
children will pick up on this and feel more stressed
themselves.”

Big changes

Even a child who has been in child care, preschool or
kindergarten will face big changes when entering school.

Here are some tips to make that first day go a little
smoother:

Help your child learn social skills. Help him meet other
children his own age at church, the park or playground. Or
invite other children the same age over to “play school.”

Talk about what happens at school. Go over what a day will
be like. Get older siblings to share their school experiences.
Some schools offer a visiting day for kindergarten and first-
graders where they can see the classrooms, cafeteria and
restrooms and sit on the bus. Meet his teacher. If your school
offers these special days, take advantage of it.

Make sure your child feels safe. Teach him your address and
phone number and to write his name.

Teacher knows best

Often the telltale moment will be when you leave him either at
the bus or the classroom.

“Teachers understand that this can be a stressful moment for
parent and child,” Bower said. “Parents may accompany the child
to the classroom the first day and introduce the teacher. Then
offer a quick hug, reassurance that we’ll talk again after
school, and exit the room.”

The teacher will know then, he said, to introduce your child to
a classmate already there or show him an interesting aquarium
or project — strategies to interest and involve him in this
new experience.

Anxious parents are ready with the drill when their children
return from the first day. How did it go? What did you learn?
Did you make new friends? Don’t let your interest in school
stop after the first day.

“Some parents assume that a child’s education is just the
school’s responsibility,” Bower said. “Plenty of research
shows, however, that the most successful students have parents
who keep track of the child’s studies and supplement them with
more learning experiences at home.”

You can enrich your child’s education, he said, with trips to
the library or museums, vacations to interesting sites or just
exploring the neighborhood. Keep plenty of reading materials in
your home, and read with your child often.

“Parents and teachers can be a team to nourish a love of
learning in children,” Bower said.