Begin preparing your child a few weeks before the big day (sooner, if this is his or her first school experience or a new school). If your household has relaxed bedtime and morning routines over the summer months, start to wake your child a little earlier each morning, and move bedtime up 15 minutes every few nights to re-establish "school hours."

2

Plan a "back-to-school" shopping day with each child individually, and make it a special event. Of course, you'll set (and try to stick to) a general budget, but leave some room for one or two small extravagances (reuse last year's backpack, but buy this year's hottest cartoon-character notebook).

3

Before the big clothes-shopping trip, spend some time with each child sorting through last year's things and decide together what goes into which pile (keeper, hand-me-down or donate). Insist that your child try on every keeper.

4

For a new year in a new school, plan a visit there a week or so before the first day. Walk through the building locating the classrooms, bathrooms and lunchroom.

5

If your child will be riding the bus, find out the route he or she will take and drive it together a few times there and back. If he or she is a walker, plan the route and walk it together both ways.

6

Help your child deal with first-day jitters by focusing on some special advantage of, for example, being a fourth-grader. Perhaps your child is now old enough for his or her own house key, an increase in allowance or some other new privilege.

7

Celebrate the big day. Go out for dinner or plan a special meal the night before, or present your child with a small gift.


Source:

How to Help Your Child Prepare for the First Day of School

http://www.ehow.com/PrintArticle.html?id=4327

Source: How to do Just About Anything: www.ehow.com

Website Address: http://www.ehow.com/how_4327_help-child-prepare.html