Eight Great Ways to Mark Your Child’s First Day of School

They really do grow up so fast, don’t they? If your child is due to start school in September, you’re probably wondering where the time has gone and if there’s a way you can turn back the clock and enjoy a few more moments when they were just a tiny baby in your arms.

Preparing for that first day can be overwhelming for both the parents/carers and the child, but there are things you can do to properly mark this milestone and make it the fun and celebratory occasion it is.

Have an honorary breakfast

They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and this claim is intensified when the breakfast in question is fuelling your child before their first ever day at school! Make it a truly special meal by decorating the kitchen with balloons and banners, and treat them to something sweet like their favourite pancakes or waffles.

Try to swap the standard ingredients with healthy alternatives such as fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, as foods with a high-fibre content are great for concentration and motivation. The first day of school can be overwhelming for a child, so make sure this specific mealtime is fun, memorable, but most importantly, an opportunity to properly stimulate them for the big day ahead.

Discuss together a list of goals and write them down

Despite their young age, it’s still important for children to have a firm idea of the direction they want to go in, and a list of goals they can aspire to reach throughout their time at school. Before they officially start their journey into the big wide world, discuss with them what their objectives are for that crucial first year.

The goals you set don’t have to be too serious or sweeping! Maybe they’d like to make three new best friends before the year is over, or perhaps they want to get to grips with their times tables. Whatever their aims, write them down and stick the sheet of paper to the fridge door or on their bedroom wall, so that they’re always reminded and can continue striving to reach them.

Record their height

Making an effort to record their height before their first day of school is a fantastic way to mark such a precious milestone. Fit a piece of card to your wall so you can make markings directly on there without impacting your décor, or choose the classic route of using a pencil to record their growth spurts on their bedroom door.

Most kids get taller at a steady pace, growing about 2.5 inches (6 to 7 centimetres) each year, but this might not apply to your child. Continue to record their height on the first day of each new school year and watch how your little one slowly becomes not so little anymore!

Give them a gift they can use throughout the day

Your child may feel nervous about starting school – after all, this is a huge milestone in their life and an intense, permanent change to the only routine they’ve ever known. More than ever before, they may need your presence to feel comforted and reassured.

A great way to bypass this is to give them a gift they can keep on their person as a reminder that you’re always with them – even if it’s not physically. Keepsake gifts could be a personalised pen, bookmark, or pocket hug.

Take a photo of them at the school gates

Walking through the school gates for the first time is a significant moment that will quite literally change their lives, so it’s only right that it’s captured forever. Yes, an ‘old but gold’ way of recognising such a huge milestone is to take a photograph of your little one outside the school.

Not every child will be willing to do this without a few moans and groans, but gently encourage and let them know they won’t regret it in years to come. Surely everyone can appreciate looking back at a cute picture of their younger self, standing in their new uniform and proudly clutching a kids backpack beside the huge steel gates. We’re not crying, you are…

Give their new teacher a gift

It’s difficult to forget your child’s first ever school teacher. This person will be responsible for helping develop your child’s mind and feelings in their most crucial years, so we recommend getting the relationship off to the best possible start by giving your child a gift to pass to them.

If you already know which teacher your child has been assigned to, you’ll probably have a good idea of the kind of present to buy. If unsure, keep it general with a new coffee mug, notebook, pen, or chocolates.

Create a time capsule

This could be a great first-day-of-school bonding activity that the whole family can get involved in! Create a time capsule to record what life was like when your little one first started school. You could include the front page of the most recent newspaper, memorable items from the preceding summer (such as a cinema ticket or restaurant menu), and one of their favourite toys.

Even more significant, help them write a letter to their future self, and pop that inside the capsule. They could mention their current friends, favourite colour/food, and what they want to be when they grow up. Save this all in a box for them to open on the day they graduate from college or university, so that they can look back fondly and see how much their life has changed, and feel proud of the journey they’ve been on.

Good luck!

It’s perfectly fine if you’re overcome with conflicting emotions at the thought of your child’s first day of school – in fact, it’s expected! We hope our suggestions help make this occasion much more enjoyable and memorable, and we wish you and your child the best of luck in starting school this summer. Make every second count because before you know it, they’ll be off to university!

Sources

https://www.nutritionist-resource.org.uk/memberarticles/six-foods-that-help-with-concentration-and-why

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/growth-6-12.html

https://childcare.extension.org/encouragement-is-more-effective-than-praise-in-guiding-childrens-behavior/