Helpful Tips For First Week Of School

By Author: Mark Arens
Total Articles: 27
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The first day of school to parents often acts as a benchmark in their development. Magazines, articles, videos and programs have been made solely for the purpose of getting a child ready for their first day of kindergarten. One magazine article says that a child should be able to print their name and clean up their own workspace before the first day of school. Another magazine article states that children going into kindergarten should know their basic colors and shapes. Parents play a role in preparing their children academically for the leap into grade school, but more importantly, they prepare their children emotionally to start their school career.

When kids begin school, they will encounter many new children who they will have to learn how to work with every day for the entire school year. Others may challenge how they act, dress or play in the classroom, so parents need to emphasize to their children that they are special and unique. Emotionally, children need to feel secure in who they are before interacting with others in a classroom setting. While their understanding of themselves will be very different than ...
... an adult understanding, children must feel like they can contribute something meaningful to the class and that they deserve to learn just like everyone else. Parents can foster these ideals by promoting the child's self worth through positive and encouraging words. A parent's approach to the first day of school will clearly let the child know if the parent believes he or she is ready and can handle the first year of school.

Parents should also work to build self confidence in their children so that the child knows he or she can succeed. By praising what the child does well and encouraging him or her to take on new challenges, the parent helps the child build the confidence to step out of his or her comfort zone. This is an essential step since the child will need to do this on his or her own when in school. Parents can also emphasize to their children that they will encounter set-backs. It is unrealistic to tell your children that they will always do well and that they will always succeed. Failure is always a part of the journey, and children will be better prepared emotionally to handle these set-backs if their parents show an appreciation for the difficulties that often lead to successes. Building self-confidence in children takes intentional work, but their positive youth development depends on it.

For a child to be emotionally prepared for the first day of school, he or she needs to know that the parent will be there every step of the way. Both the parent and the child are stepping into the unknown and most work together to earn a quality education that also includes positive social and emotional experiences. This centers on what kids need most - unconditional love. If children know that they are unique and loved going into kindergarten, they will develop an even stronger sense of self worth and self confidence as they learn and succeed in their school years.
Mark Arens, owner of ThumbPeople, Inc. & author of Thumbuddy Books & products, shares his heart on the importance of spending time together as a family. ThumbPeople provides traditional children's products and books that help build and fortify strong relationships within the family. Building self worth and self respect within our children is vital. Visit ThumbPeople for more -->> http://www.thumbuddyspecial.com