First Day of School Jitter Bug Craft

The first day of school can be a stressful time for both parents and children, especially for kids starting school for their first time. Making a first day of school jitter-bug can be a fun craft to help kids deal with their fears and anxieties. It is great for teachers as a back to school craft activity or for parents to make with their kids as they prepare for that big day.

First, talk to your kids or students about what the word jitter means: fear, worry, anxiety, stress. Talk about things he or she may feel when they get jitters, like butterflies in their stomach. Then talk to your kids or students about which back to school events give them the jitters. Maybe it's fear of a new school, like when students transfer and move or when they graduate from Kindergarten to the big school or from elementary to middle school. Maybe your child worries about making friends if their old friends are in a different classroom. Maybe they have a teacher they have heard bad stories bout.

Help your child cut out two circles from colored construction paper. You can stick with a red and black color scheme to resemble ladybugs or let your child be creative and make their jitterbug any color. Make one circle about six inches wide and the second circle about three inches. Glue the smaller circle at the top of the larger one like half a snowman. Cut three long craft pipe cleaners in half to make six smaller legs. Glue three on either side of the large circle. (You can also use this opportunity to remind your students that insects have six legs.)

Add wiggle eyes to the top circle. Then cut smaller sections of pipe cleaner for antenna. Use paint or markers to draw a mouth, nose and other insect features on your jitter bug craft.

Now that the jitter bug craft actually looks like a bug, encourage your children or students to write their biggest back to school fears on the jitter bug craft's main body. Younger children can use crayons to illustrate their fear and let their parents or teachers write it verbally.

If you are a teacher, display all your students jitter bug crafts on a bulletin board or the classroom door. Gather the class around the craft display and talk about everyone's back to school and first day jitters. Point out how some students have the same fears and talk about how everyone has at least one thing that makes them nervous.

If you are a parent, hang your child's jitter bug craft on the refrigerator. Talk to your child about some things he or she can do to make the first day of school easier. Often it makes kids feel better just to be able to verbalize their fears and know that it is ok to be worried and afraid of something. Acknowledge their jitters without making them feel silly. Then, after the first day and throughout the first week, ask your child about the situation. Leave the jitter bug craft on the fridge as a reminder that the situation worked out.