Helping Your Kindergartner Love the Bus

With back-to-school season right around the corner, it can be an anxious time for you and your kindergartner! Riding a school bus for the first time should be an exciting moment for parents and their children. Since the bus is a child’s first interaction with school each day, it is important that parents help their first-time riders start off on a positive note.

First Student, a leader in school bus transportation, offers its top six tips for helping your kindergartner learn to love taking the bus:

1. Read About the Bus

There are lots of great children’s books about buses – read them together to allow your child to “experience” riding a school bus from the comfort of home. Some of the top-rated books on school buses for children include: School Bus by Donald Crews and I’m Your Bus by Marilyn Singer.

2. Explore a Bus

School orientation events often offer first-time students a chance to go for a short ride around the community. Alternatively, parents can find a Touch-a-Truck event in your area so your student can check out a bus before school starts.

3. Visit the Bus Stop

Before school starts, drive past your child’s bus stop with them and review how the pick-up and drop-off process works. Reassure your child that you or someone they know (i.e. a neighbor) will be by their side.

4. Test the Memory

Many kids fear that they’ll never be able to find their bus without their parent. Help your child remember his or her bus number and write it down for them in case they forget.

5. Introduce Your Child

A quick “hello” will help you bus driver learn your child’s name and help you recognize the driver in the bus line. This will help put your child at ease when getting on the bus.

The first day of school in addition to the first bus ride can feel overwhelming to your child. But by implementing these six tips, your kindergartner will feel more confident and comfortable!