How do you prepare a child for their first day of school?

Reduce the number of things that are new all at once. Visit the school beforehand if possible, practise the routine — waking, dressing, the journey — for a few days in advance, and read stories about starting school. Talk about it factually and positively without overselling, since a child who expects it to be wonderful can feel deceived. Keep goodbyes short, warm and predictable; drawn-out farewells make separation harder. Expect regression in sleep, eating or toileting for a couple of weeks, which is normal. Crying at drop-off usually stops within minutes of you leaving.