If your little one is about to head off to school for the first time, he is in for a lot of adjustments! Most of the changes will be exciting, but they’ll also be a bit daunting. Anything you can do as a parent to prepare your big kid for his first day will help him ease into his transition.
A Facebook post from Julie New Harbaugh, a mom of a soon-to-be kindergartener, is going viral thanks to her helpful tip regarding school lunchtime. The mom suggested practicing “school lunch” with your kid before their first day so he’ll be used to everything from his new lunchbox to the time constraints he’ll be under while eating.
“Practice eating ‘school lunch’ with your kiddo,” she wrote on Facebook. “Make sure they can open everything you send with them. Talk about not eating off of the table in the lunchroom!!! Set a timer for 15 minutes and talk about how they may not finish eating and that’s ok. (This was HARD for little man.) Practice packing everything back up and talk about what is trash and what should come back home in their lunch box.”
She pointed out that not only will your child be better prepared if you practice school lunch, but school employees will be grateful for your effort.
“Kindergarten lunch is a big adjustment and your child’s teacher will be super appreciative if you have prepared them for the experience,” she wrote.
This wise advice resonated with a lot of parents, as the post has been shared 52,000 times and gotten almost 8,000 comments since it was posted on Aug. 12.
Caregivers sounded off in the comments section, praising this great idea.
One parent pointed out that this should certainly make your child a little less anxious on their first day:
“Great idea as the little ones just don’t know what to do at first and with all the new things to learn, knowing how to open lunch pail and what to do next will ease some of the anxiety for the child,” the comment reads.
A former education professional noted that kids do often struggle come lunchtime, so this post is an excellent suggestion:
“Wow!! What a great lesson! I worked at schools for 27 years, the little ones do have a difficult time,” the Facebook comment reads.
Prepping A Healthy School Lunch
Parents might need a little help adjusting to their child’s new lunch habits, too. Simplemost spoke with registered dietitians and nutritionists about what should and shouldn’t make its way into your child’s lunch box.
Major takeaways include foods that are slow-releasing, meaning they’ll give your kids energy throughout the day as well as plenty of fruits and veggies. The experts also recommend avoiding pre-packaged snacks.
A practice run could be good for everyone involved. Back-to-school time is an adjustment period for everyone involved, but don’t worry kids, parents and teachers — you’ve got this!
Here’s to a successful school year!