A Few Major Ways of Helping Your Child Prepare for Elementary School

Our children starting Elementary School is a major milestone. It can be very intimidating and confusing to our little ones, being exposed to new rules and unfamiliar faces and personalities. I remember being so upset and worried when my daughter, now ten years old, first started school. Though she had been in Pre-K the year before, I knew that this would be extremely different for her. Would she be bullied by the bigger kids? Would she be a "follower" instead of a "leader"? Would she be scared? Now once again I find myself with the same fears all over again, my little boy will start kindergarten in a few days.

My husband and I sat down many years ago with our daughter and tried to prepare her for the possibilities what were yet to come, and yesterday we did the same with our little boy. School rules are typically straight forward; raise your hand to speak, come prepared with needed material, no running in the halls but what about the issues outside of that? The first few years of a child's school life will typically determine what kind of student he or she will be in the future; the Class Clown is typically always going to be the Class Clown, the Book Worm will usually always be the the Book Worm, etc.

Be A "Leader" Not A "Follower"
We started by explaining that it isn't okay to do things just because the other kids are doing it. If the teacher says no talking, it doesn't matter if the kid next to him is chatting away, he still can't talk. If his little friend decides he would rather run to the lunch room, he is not allowed to run and even if his buddy thinks it is fun to play in the bathroom, it is not okay. If the little boy across the table is making fun of or calling others names, maybe he should be the strong one and say, "That isn't nice", and discourage others who might be laughing along. We explained how to be a "leader" not a "follower" and how the other kids just might end up copying his good behavior.

No Bullying!
One of the definitions given by Webster's Dictionary for bullying is, "A person habitually cruel to others who are weaker... to domineer... to intimidate...". Unfortunately, we do not have much control over other children's behavior but we can stress the seriousness of the action to our children. We explained to our son that he would meet people who looked and acted different, people who might not speak the same and people who dress different, for example, but that is all perfectly okay. Every one needs a friend and some one who is on their side, especially kids. We gave him real examples of how it must feel to be picked on and bullied then stressed that no one should ever have to feel that way. We also discussed ways of handling a bully, in the event he became a victim. Like the definition says, bullies only pick on those who seem weaker, those who do not stand up for themselves. *I will leave this tactic up to you, I think each parent has their own "self defense" rules.

Use Your Manners
Though many people have their own opinion about the "Teacher's Pet", it isn't exactly a bad thing to be. There aren't many people, especially adults, who don't appreciate being shown a bit of respect. Always say please and thank you, hold the door open for the ladies, or little girls, it really isn't funny to burp out loud but if he has to, say excuse me. At the same time, show self respect. People don't like to see chewed-up food, he does not have to advertise why he needs to use the restroom. Basically, the way he presents himself is the way the world will view him. After it was all said and done, we made it clear that It doesn't matter what other kids say... Sticks and stones... and he always has a place to hide, for the moment, if the world becomes too much.

Do The Best You Can Do, Always
It is perfectly okay to mess-up and make a mistake as long as he knows that he did the best he could. We must not make our children think that they should be perfect but they should also know that we will except no less than their best. Remember, our kids only take us as serious as we prove ourselves to be.

There is no surefire way to completely prepare your little one for this whole new world but by stressing the importance of a few key elements, it might give them the start they need toward being mentally prepared. Always be willing to listen and explain, no matter how petty the problem might be. This is also the door-way to how your child will respond to you in the future. Will you be the parent that your child feels like they can talk to about anything, or will they learn to just stay away?