Doctors urge parents to get kids ready for school now

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - As summer has seemingly flown by, parents have already begun planning for a smooth transition back to school for their kids.

A former teacher said she knows how important it is to be prepared for that first day.

“You never knew what you were in for,” she said. “Sometimes it was going to be a good year, and some years it was going to be a little tougher.”

Now as a grandmother, she’s preparing to send her granddaughter, Allie, off to Kindergarten.

Johns Hopkins Medicine said it’s vital to establish routines a few weeks before school begins. The grandmother said Allie’s parents have been making sure she’s ready for her first day by trying to get her to bed a little earlier and having her practice how to open different food packages.

“It makes it easier for the first day and that first week for her and her classmates and for her teacher,” her grandmother said.

Deondra Moore, a mother of an upcoming preschooler, said she is preparing her daughter both socially and academically for next year.

“She’s been doing just flashcards,” Moore said. “We’ve been trying to acclimate her to a new instructional setting with other kids as well.”

Moore said she hopes her daughter has all the tools she needs to be successful.

“She actually is in developmental as well as speech therapy as well, so just getting her acclimated to be able to express herself, be able to receive receptive language as well,” Moore said.

Johns Hopkins Medicine also urged parents to talk to their children about what to expect and ease any anxiety they may be feeling.

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