We have a new neighbour. They have been here for about three months and they are a very nice family. They come over to our house on the weekends and I play with their daughter, Sarah. She is a very sweet girl and she will be starting school soon. Mumma and Sarah’s mother have become very good friends and I have heard them share recipes, discuss various topics and ask for advices as well.

This time it is Sarah’s mom taking advice from mumma. As I said, Sarah will be starting her pre-school very soon and her mother is worried about how she would react on her first day to school. This reminds me of my first day; I had written a post about it as well. For those who missed out reading my post, here is the link. Our neighbours have chosen the pre-school for Sarah, but they need to start preparing her for the first day of school.

Mumma’s eyes got moist and her voice changed a bit, when she started talking about the first day at school; I guess she remembered her experience. However, she got over her emotions and started talking. Mumma said, you should start discussing about her new routine and how things will be once nursery school starts. Talk to her about your childhood memories when you started school. Mumma said, you should also take her to her new nursery school at least once or twice and let her meet her teacher and the other children who are already attending school. Talk about the positive aspects of school such as she will make new friends, she will get to play and learn new activities, and how she will become independent gradually.

Mumma also suggested that she starts leaving Sarah alone for some time, so that she gets used to staying away from her. Mumma said you can leave Sarah here if you need to go out for some shopping or somewhere else. This way she will learn to spend time away from you. But most importantly, you must be confident about yourself and your child. She will react the way you react; so if you are confident that your child will easily adjust to the transition, she will actually do so. Mumma said, even I was very nervous when Veerica went to school for the first time, but I controlled my emotions so that my nervousness didn’t affect her. Veerica was afraid but she adjusted to the new environment very quickly; she smiled and said she’s a brave girl and I believe Sarah will get adjusted soon as well.

For the first day, make sure you get her ready before time and reach school at least 10 minutes ahead of time. You’ll get some time to console her and assure her that you will be there for her whenever she needs you. Make sure you are present when they leave school. The first few days will be tough, but the phase will pass away soon.