Have a Fabulous First Day of School!

The first day of school is an occasion of mixed emotions for children and parents– excitement, trepidation, happiness and nervousness to name a few!  And if any of your children are attending a new school this fall, these feelings can be even stronger.  Here are some of my thoughts for making the first day a complete success!

During The Week Before School Starts

  1. Start waking up earlier - Start having your children wake up a bit earlier to prepare them for their school schedule.  This is especially important if they’ve been enjoying a lazy summer!
  2. Schedule a play date with one or two of your child’s future classmates!  This will help to “break the ice” when school resumes. 
  3. Check your dates - Don’t laugh, but I recommend double checking the date that your school opens and the time that the children need to be there!  For me, with three kids in three different schools with three different arrival times, this is actually a necessity!
  4. Conduct some time trials!  That is, how many minutes will your children need to bike or walk to school or to walk to the bus stop?  These numbers are important for timely arrivals!
  5. Make arrangements for littlest ones - If you’re a “stay at home” mom, consider hiring a sitter to watch your littlest ones while you take your school aged children to school on this important first day!  The benefit of this is two fold - you’ll be able to focus on the big kid(s) and you won’t be dragging car seats or strollers through the school hallways!
  6. Take the morning off - If you’re a working mom, consider taking the morning off from your job!  You’ll reduce your own stress level and make your children feel really special! (If you can, convince your spouse to do the same and after the kids are settled at school, head out for a cozy breakfast for just the two of you!)

On The Night Before the First Day of School

  1. Prepare a fun snack to send into school to mark this special day!  How about “apple” or “school bus” shaped sugar cookies?  A box of donuts or basket of bagels? (Granted, this probably won’t work for your middle schooler, but your first grader will love sharing a fun snack with classmates!)
  2. Prepare outfits and backpacks - Lay out the outfits of choice and fill those backpacks. (My own flip flop wearing children recommend tucking sneakers into your backpack on the first day of school because you could have gym class!  My crew also suggests that parents tuck $5 or so into backpacks for “emergencies” such as forgotten lunch money or bake sales!) 
  3. Plan an outfit for yourself as well – you know that you’ll be seeing lots of friends that you haven’t seen all summer!
  4. Charge your camera/video camera - Make sure that your camera is powered up and ready to go!
  5. Plan a special breakfast - Plan a delicious breakfast featuring favorite foods - this would also be a great time to make my favorite overnight breakfast casserole! (see Baked French Toast) If you’ve got a bit of extra energy, consider setting a little school themed gift at each child’s plate!

On the Big Day

  1. GET UP EARLY! This applies to everyone! A little extra time never hurt anyone! (Getting to school early is an especially good idea for preschoolers.  Take your child to their classroom before it’s filled with lots of noisy kids and you’ll reduce the intimidation factor of walking into a busy, crowded setting!) 
  2. Plan to be the  driver - Know that regardless of how your children will normally get to school, on the first day, you’ll be the driver! (Buses tend to be notoriously off schedule at the start of the year.)
  3. Take Photos! -  There’s nothing cuter than those first day of school pictures!  Some families take their pictures in the same spot in their yard every year – as the children grow, so do the trees and plants!

At the End of the Big Day

  1. Plan a family dinner - At the end of the big day, plan to eat together as a family.  Everyone will have so much to share that family dinner is essential!  Also on this night, cancel any after school or evening activities for everyone in your family!  Kids will need to decompress and parents will be so inundated with papers to fill out that a night off is needed!
  2. Bake a special dessert - If you’ve got the time, try baking the adorable pencil shaped brownie cake for dessert easily found at familyfun.com! 

And at the end of it all, tuck your exhausted kids into bed and sit back with your spouse.  Pour two glasses of wine and toast the beginning of a wonderful new year!

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