Cody’s FIRST day of Preschool/ Back to School Ideas

I have been working towards this day for almost a year now, trying to get Cody bear ready for the transition. I know, it seems crazy to work towards something like this for so long, but with his personality, it seemed like slow and steady wins the race!

Yesterday was the FIRST day of Preschool and they had to pull one of us out of there kicking and screaming….. and it wasn’t Cody! We have been prepping Cody for while and at Parent/Teacher night, they told us that we would be in class with the kids for the first 30 minutes (which I was thrilled about- just 30 more min with my dude)! I had told Cody that daddy and I would hang out in class for circle time and then we would leave and see him when school was over… so there were NO surprises! I had a neighbor watch Grayson so all the focus was on Cody and off we went. When it was time to separate, he ran into the muscle room and didn’t look back. The flood gates opened and I was a blubbering mess, but all the other parents were there to pick me up!! Miss Megan sent us home with these ADORABLE little bags that were SO sweet (the bag included a tissue, tea bag, cotton ball and a hershey kiss)!!

When I came to pick him up, there was nothing better than his HUGE smile and BIG hug ….. being a SAHM I rarely get that since I am always with him :) He told me, “Mom, I had SO much fun at Preschool. I made lots of friends and I LOVED it!” His teacher said that he was talkative and did great!! Music to my ears!

One thing I was worried about, other than his “shyness” was the potty situation. Cody had been potty trained for a year now and we really haven’t had any major problems with it. His underwear would be damp here and there at home, but after the initial first few rough days, it was mostly smooth sailing from there. Over the last few months, I have noticed some regression in the potty dept. It will last a few weeks, go away and then resurface. I think some of it is from waiting until the last-minute, but a lot of it is attention seeking (I think). Now that Grayson is like a little human (does more than eat, sleep and poop!), he requires even more attention and I think Cody is having some issues with this. The more I read, the more I see that ANY attention is good attention to them so when they are hitting or taking away toys or peeing their pants, if you yell or discipline them, you may be adding fuel to the fire. The whole sibling dynamic is very interesting and that is going to be my next big thing I research. One book I love is Siblings without Rivalry by Adelene Faber. Great tips! Any other good recommendations or tips on the attention seeking due to a new sibling?

So…. continuing with Preschool! I had been looking for special things to do on his first day and to make it really exciting for him and of course Pinterest has it all! You can check out our board, but here are a few things I did:

First day of school fairy: Yes, cheesy, but oh so cute! The FDOSF wrote up a little poem to Cody and filled his new backpack with some goodies from the dollar store :) Then she put TONS of balloons all through the house, starting with outside his door. This was his FAVORITE thing! He just kept talking about the balloons! Here is the poem (don’t laugh!):

Here is a little gift from me
Now that you’re starting Preschool and are 3!
Such a big boy you are, enjoy your first day
In Miss Megan’s class, where you will play, play, play
Listen to your teachers and be kind to your friends
And know that your mommy will be there to pick you up at the end!!
Have SO much fun on your FIRST day of PRESCHOOL!

Love,
The First Day of School Fairy

20 Questions: I LOVED this idea! Another blogger does this with her kids on her birthday, but I thought I would do it every year when they start school. I make yearly photo books for each kid (I have only done Cody’s, but now have G’s to make since he is already One!!!) and you can add text to any page you want. I did milestones on Cody’s first year and second year books and I think starting at 3 I will do a page of text with the questions and the answers and continuing that each year. I think it will be cool to look back and see how their answers change!

First Day of…… FREE Printables: I was thinking of doing the pic of him holding a chalkboard, but I found these ADORABLE free printables and they have one for every year so you just print them and have them hold it on their first day every year! They are super cute, they match and I can add that to their yearly book! This blog is AWESOME too! GREAT ideas on there!

Making it a special day: We did a smiley face for breakfast, had ice cream after school, and let him pick out a special place to go for dinner. Of course… Chick-fil-a! They are actually having an adorable Mother-Son date KNIGHT in a few weeks! You should check it out!! Also, check out my post from last week with other fun ways to make your kids days at school special!

Overall it was such a WONDERFUL day! I felt all the rainbow of emotions and I am looking forward to seeing how much he will grow and change over this school year! How is school going for your kiddos and you?!

Cody actin’ a fool!