back to school

13 essential children’s books about starting school: Ease first day jitters

catherinemryan

Getting ready for the first day of school? These essential children’s books about starting school will help your kids prep for the next big stage in their young lives: going back to school. (This post contains affiliate links.)

This is a big year in our family: It’s the first day of preschool for Kiwi and the first day of kindergarten for Peeper. (How did they get so big?!) Peeper is absolutely jazzed about starting school—in fact, the other day she asked when fall was, and when my answer wasn’t soon enough she started crying.

When you ask Kiwi how she feels about starting school, though, her response is more mixed (and impressively nuanced for a 3-year-old): She says, “I’m excited but also little bit scared.”

That ambivalence about a new experience is totally understandable—and probably very familiar to you, if you have kids getting ready for their first day of school.

That’s why we’ve been reading these children’s books about starting school. They’re silly, fun and relatable. These children’s books about starting school are also a perfect opportunity to talk through what to expect—and to discuss the mixed feelings your kids might have about the first day of school.

Back to school season is exciting - but not every child has what she needs to succeed. Here, 4 things your family can do to help. Ten Thousand Hour Mama
This was Peeper’s first day of school last year. She has grown so much!

So request these from the library or order them on Amazon Prime. You and your kids will love reading these books about starting school—I know we have.

Good luck, parents!

Getting ready for the first day of school? These 13 greatest children's books about starting school are perfect to prep for back to school. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

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How your family can help kids thrive in school

catherinemryan

I’m still riding the enthusiasm and excitement from the back to school season over here. Peeper is already adjusted to her half-days of pre-K (no tears, just a quick squeeze before we say goodbye!). And Kiwi just started homeschool preschool—more on that later! But not every child has what she needs to excel in school.

Back to school season is exciting - but not every child has what she needs to succeed. Here, 4 things your family can do to help. Ten Thousand Hour MamaBack to school time is exciting, but many kids don't have everything they need to succeed. Here are 4 ways your family can do good. Ten Thousand Hour Mama

School supplies lists can get expensive (the average family spent $100-200 on the required pens, pencils and binders, according to a national study), and that’s not even factoring in other expenses like clothes, electronics (required by many schools) and other items.

I wrote about how we can help ensure all the kids in our community start school ready to learn and thrive in my latest column for PDX Parent.

In it, I explore how even families with little kids—who don’t have many opportunities to volunteer in the traditional sense because they’re too young—can pitch in.

Your kids may be too young to volunteer, but any family can do good in their community by helping all children thrive in this back to school season. Here, 4 things you can do to help! Ten Thousand Hour Mama Read more →