Back To School Shopping

I love the first day of school because most children have at least one new or many new possessions. New backpacks, new shoes , new lunchboxes , new haircuts . The excitement about these new items makes kids burst with enthusiasm. I spend at least a half hour at some point during the first day, just noticing and talking about the NEW because there’s no getting to any curriculum until the NEW has been acknowledged . Looking at the child and all their belongings is also a great way to get to know a child. It’s a great time to compare and contrast with peers , look for similarities and differences in the class , and assess or encourage communication skills . I could run an entire days curriculum and cover math and language arts just by focusing on all the new items . I will often find topics that I need to learn too , games , characters , video games , current celebrities  and movies . When a child is shy or sad, I can  usually redirect a child just by talking about something they are wearing or something they brought to school. 

 Kids love to know how little I know about topics that they love . I explain that I too will be a student and they will  teach me about their world during the year.

So…. Let your child participate in picking  out their clothing , the backpack ,folder and the lunch box.

See first day supplies for more about specific items .