What to Expect the First Days of School from Your Kinder to Second Grader

School is around the corner or maybe you have already begun.  You have been buying supplies and preparing for school.  You probably have been reading books and talking about school to your little ones these past few weeks.  You've done it because you understand that if you predict for your child then they will be ready when the REAL thing happens.

What about you?  How are you preparing for the school year?  

I thought I would help out by predicting some possible situations and behaviors that your child will exhibit these first weeks of school.  

  1. They will ask and seek to be closer to you. You will find yourself saying why do they have "mamitis" and "why are they so clingy?"

  2. They will be incredibly hyper or silly when you pick them up from school. This is especially true of the one that is doing great in the classroom. The one that the teacher says "he doesn't do that with me". Why? Because they are containing their energy during the school day and then when they see you their safety they decompress and express all that energy with you, their parent.

  3. They will cry. They will tell you they don't like school. They will complain. Do not worry about these messages for the first 45 days of school. This is your little one getting use to the new transition and rules of a new classroom.

  4. They will come home from school and tell you that someone told them "you are not my friend" or some version of that sentence. Why? because children in this age group are practicing how to manage social norms and social rules. It is one of the most important social emotional developmental milestones of the 5-7 year old to learn how to manage the social world.

  5. They will want to be like everyone else. This is also part of the "social norms and social rules" milestone. It is perfectly normal for children of this age group to not want to stand out in the crowd. Don't worry they are not becoming followers its just a normal part of the 5-7 year old development.

Hold these in mind until around October by that time most children get into the routine of the day to day of school.  Happy back to school!