By Gregory K. Moffatt, Ph.D.
Special to The Citizen

The fall is fast approaching and some of you are sending a child to school for the first time. Whether it is pre-K, Kindergarten, or first grade, the transition to a first experience at school can sometimes be difficult for children. Today I provide you with a number of suggestions to help ease your child's transition into his or her first school experience.

Foremost, make sure you are confident the school you have chosen is right for your child. Unfortunately, public school allows no choice. Other options may include private school or even home-schooling. It is critical that your child have a good experience at school the first two or three years. This sets the stage for his attitude and feelings about school for the rest of his learning career. If you are not happy with the public school, invest in private education or another alternative. Even though it can be expensive, the investment is one that will pay off for the rest of his school career.

Second, go to open house or other welcoming opportunities that the school offers. This will give both you and your child a chance to see the building, classrooms, and other facilities and it will allow a first, brief contact with the child's teacher. If your school does not offer open house, request a brief tour and visit with your child's teacher a week or two before school starts.

If possible, meet other children that will be in your child's class. Especially if your child is extremely anxious about starting school, invite several children from his class over to your home or to a local park together for an afternoon. This will give your child, as well as the other children, a chance to meet each other and consequently have friends to look forward to when school starts instead of strangers.

Spend an afternoon on the school's playground if the school will permit it. The playground is an area almost all children look forward to and it will give the child a taste of the fun that awaits during recess.

Talk with your child's teacher and describe any specific fears or anxieties he or she should expect from your child. This will give your child's teacher an opportunity to pay special attention to places, times or situations that may be fearful to your child from the first moment school starts.

Do a practice run. If the school allows, walk your child through a typical day. Get up early, make breakfast, pack a book bag, and drive to the school. Walk through the child's activities and meet the people the child will see each day. If this isn't possible, play "school" at home and walk through the process using your pretend school at home. Don't forget to include a pretend school bus if your child will be a bus rider.

Finally, expect the best. Listen to your child as she talks to you about things she worries about or is excited about, but don't dwell on the negative. In brief conversations, talk about the exciting things that school brings and all that she will experience. Knowledge helps ease anxiety.

A smooth transition in the first week or two of school is critical. Your child may need some pushing, but that kind of pushing may be necessary to force him or her into more social strength and comfort. If your child does not accommodate well to school in the first few days, talk with the school counselor about possible interventions. The earlier intervention occurs, the easier it is to correct.

With these suggestions, your child should transition quickly and easily into his or her first days of school. Nothing is more important than a good education and it begins with his first educational experience. Have a great school year!

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