Understand Your Child's Temperament

The key to success is to accurately understand your child's temperament when it comes to transitions. Children do not act in similar ways to the process of change. And, how your child reacts will depends on his temperament, his personality-style.

1. Practice the route that the school bus or you will take from your house, by driving there together.
   Kids feel very reassured seeing the exact trip ahead of time. Do a little homework and talk about the different landmarks along the way. This helps a child know what the other kids already know, the basic geography of the area. Keep in mind that children pay attention to many of the things we adults take for granted - a shopping center with a nice toy store, a cool-colored billboard, a sleek new building and so on.
   
2. Get permission from the school to visit the building itself, a few days before your child's first day.
   Most schools are open for teacher prep and most administrators are sympathetic to this request. Walk through the school together, and again, be sure to hit the places that matter most to kids - classroom/homeroom, the cafeteria, the gym and the outdoor play areas. 

When you face that seemingly impossible transition to a new school and a new neighborhood, remember it's not impossible. Take a temperamental reading of your child, try a few practice moves and you can make a huge difference. No matter how anxious you or your child are, with a little bit of preparation, you're on your way to a smooth transition, and, most often, the start of something really good.