First day of school can be exciting for some kids and a little nerve wrecking for others. Throwing immersion school into the mix and it can seem even more daunting.
The good news is, preparing your child for the first day of immersion school is pretty similar to first day of any preschool or kindergarten.
This is something we’re faced with this fall as I prepare my daughter for kindergarten.
At first we were planning on homeschooling her. She would attend a local co-op three days a week where she would be taught all subjects in English and on the two days she’s home, I would focus on Chinese.
But in March we found out that we’re expecting and really wanted to have the baby in Taiwan. This way, I can stay at a postpartum center and my daughter can attend a local bilingual school with Taiwanese kids that my friend opened.
Here are 5 quick and easy ways to prepare you and your child for the first day of immersion school so both you and your child are ready for the exciting day!
5 Tips to Prepare Your Child for First Day of School/Immersion School
1. Set Time Apart to Talk About School
Take time to ask your child how they feel about first day of immersion school, what they’re looking forward to, what questions or worries they may have.
Give them space and opportunity to process with you so they know they can talk to you about it.
2. Attend School Visits & Meet Ups
Take advantage of the opportunities schools provide for your child to meet their new teacher and familiarize themselves with the new environment.
If you already know some of the new classmates that will be in the same class or school, set up a playdate at the park to help your child have someone familiar to look forward to seeing the first day.
Some immersion schools also offer online classes in the summer. Take advantage of these opportunities for your child to meet their new teachers and classmates as well.
This is what we’ve been doing this summer in preparation for the immersion school my daughter will be attending in Taiwan.
3. Read Books About First Day of School
Reading books together about the first day of school will not only help your child know what to expect but opens up opportunities to have deeper conversation about school.
Here are some great books to help!
Wonderful book written by a Mandarin immersion school teacher to help prepare kids for immersion school.
Book on what life is like and what friendships are available in an immersion school.
To calm the first day of school jitters, this story is about a school building that’s nervous about the first day of school.
Popular heartwarming classic to prepare kids for time of separation from parent whether that be daycare or school.
A great book to discuss all the emotions regarding starting school and help ease their anxiety.
A detailed how to book for gradeschoolers. Great instructional book for kids interested in learning important life skills.
4. Review the Language:
Although kids don’t need to enter immersion preschool or kindergarten with any background in the language, it may help prep them by equipping them with some common phrases.
These phrases can either be school related or simply words they’ve learned in the past.
Remember to keep it fun and lighthearted especially for younger children to help them have positive associations with language learning.
Here are some great Mandarin/Cantonese shows on Netflix & Amazon Prime Video to get started. Or start listening to some fun Chinese kids songs!
5. Let them pick out their school supplies:
I don’t know about you. But I always looked forward to new school supplies each year.
Even in college, picking out items I need in the colors and patterns I like made the new year fun and exciting for me.
Involve your kids and get them excited by letting them choose some of their new immersion school supplies or even a new first day of school outfit. My daughter’s really into rainbows and unicorns so we got her a new unicorn water bottle.
Be sure to check out my free first day of school printable sign too!
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