Five Ways to Help Acclimate Your Kids to a New School

Will your child be attending a new school this year? Perhaps you have a child who is just beginning school and will be adjusting to their new environment outside the home? Starting at a new school can bring excitement and nervousness all at once. If your child is starting Pre-K, moving into kindergarten, or moving schools, there's a good chance that you may be worried about their comfort level during this transition.

Although parents you may feel that they cannot do much to help their child's adjustment until after the first day of school, be assured that you can use the power of the environment to help you before that first day even comes!

Here are 5 ways that you can start to acclimate your child to their new school environment and help them to get familiar:

1. Drive by your child's school each day for a few weeks. If you can, enter the parking lot and get a visual of the grounds. Point out signage, mascots, and trees, shrubs, or gardens that may be on your school campus. These will quickly become strong visuals for your child to connect with and will give them a sense of familiarity when they arrive on that first day.

2. Many schools allow public access to the school playgrounds. If yours does, see if you can spend time with your child playing at their school's playground.

3. If your child will be riding a school bus, spend time looking at school buses and pointing them out while on the road ways.

4. Locate your child's school online. Most school districts have websites and list all the schools separately - most schools have their own websites with their schedules, staff contacts, and photos. This can be a great way for your child to see some things within their school building. Similarly, see if your school has a social media presence. Many schools post on social media pages or have private parent groups- on these pages you may get some "inside glimpses" to school activities, such as holidays, performances, field trips, and special events.Your child might enjoy seeing pictures of other kids having a good time at school!

5. Get your child excited about their own school materials - picking out a fun backpack, lunchbox, or school materials such as markers and crayons can be fun. Let your child spend time with exploring the items each day at home before school begins.

Here are some visuals to help you remember and incorporate some of these ideas with your child:

Drive by the school for a few days and take a look at the grounds.

If you can access it, go with your child and visit the school's playground - they will be familiar with this on the first day they have recess and it can also help them build positive feelings of excitement in anticipation of school beginning.

Get familiar with the look, sounds, and the stop & go nature of school buses in the community.

Hop online to explore your child's school via website or school district social media.

Help your child play a part in choosing their school materials including backpacks, lunch boxes, notebooks, folders, and more (depending on their grade level).