Summer is coming to an end and you have a little one about to start school for the first time. Starting off shy is not an ideal situation, but first day of school jitters are inevitable. If you are just as nervous as your little one. I have a few tips and tricks for you. Questions you should ask yourself are –
- Is my child outgoing?
- Is my child shy?
- Is my child prepared to be away from me for so long?
It is certainly going to be an adjustment for you both. My children were both extremes. Our oldest was extremely social, friendly, kind, sweet and just wanted to make friends with everyone. The only worries I had when sending him to school, was his food allergies which was a huge hurdle for me. You can read about this here – Navigating School With Food Allergies
Starting Off Shy
My youngest on the other hand was super smart, loved learning new things, kind, sweet, and friendly but extremely shy, relied on his brother for everything social. He did not like to be the center of attention. Although he was extremely eager to go to school and learn he was afraid to be doing this new scary thing alone. How did I help prepare him for this?
Starting Off Shy Tip :
Ask your older child’s teacher if they are a kindergarten or pre-school teacher if you Shy child can join the class for the day. This will help give the child a peek inside to how much fun school can be and with the support of their older sibling it will be less scary.
We had great teachers. Older son’s teacher allowed him to come and stay with the class for a day. Just to see what it would be like. He would be with his brother so it wouldn’t seem so intimidating. I was extremely grateful for this as most teachers wouldn’t be willing to take on an extra kid and understandably they already have their hands full.
First Day Of School Jitters Trick :
Give them a little something to place in their pocket. Something that will let them know you are close to them.
When It was time for my shy guy to head on into school all by himself. I gave Him a nickel. This had a lot of meaning. My grandmother used to call me Nickel, Nickel and when she passed the strangest thing occurred. My husband and I started finding Nickels. Most people find a penny here or there. well, we found nickels and lot’s of them. I still continue to collect the nickel’s to this very day. So, every time I found a nickel I felt as though my Grammy was there with me. Offering me encouragement, sending love, or just saying hello. It was the smallest thing I could think of that would fit in his pocket. Whenever he was nervous or felt like he missed us, he could reach in his pocket. I told him that I would know and be right there with him sending the love right back. It was a way for him to believe I was with him even though I was not with him.
Tip:
You can always see if your teacher would like a parent volunteer in the classroom from time to time.
I did this, I volunteered as often as I could. This way, I was close by if my oldest son had an allergy and in the class with my shy guy until he got comfortable. This put my mom mind to rest. Not all teachers will allow this though. It never hurts to ask if they need help.
Book List
We also read books about going to school every night. We would talk about all the things he would be doing everyday and all the new friends he would make.
Our favorite book on this subject we found years later (but If I had found it back then feel it would have helped us tremendously) was The Invisible Hat written by Nicole Carleton
This book was perfect for our shy little boy going off to school for the first time. It details the struggles and triumphs of the first day of school. The jitters, and how much fun kindergarten can be. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a shy child going to school.
The Kissing Hand written by Audrey Penn was also recommended by his teacher this book addresses separation anxiety.
The Pigeon has to go to school by Mo Willems The Pigeon books are just hilarious and in this one the pigeon just does not want to go to school.
This book is not a book about going to school but I am throwing it in here because it was one of our all time favorite children’s books. We got this book at a comic con when my boys were very young. It’s a book of imagination it’s called Sir Ryan’s Quest written by Jason Deeble I think you parent’s will love this as much as your kids. The point of this one is books can take you from school to a dungeon with a dragon. books are a fantastic way to introduce your kids to the exciting world of learning and school. Because wouldn’t it be great if they went to school and learned to read? Then they can make all the funny voices and read the crazy story adventures to you!
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