Preparing Your Child for the School Bus

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Has the time come for your baby to get the bus to school all alone? If so, it’s likely that both you and your child are feeling a little nervous. It’s important that with big milestones like these, you prepare your child as much as possible so that they can be a little more confident about the situation. Talk to them about what to expect and practise the route lots of times together so that it becomes familiar. Read on for some more tips from an independent day school in Oxford.

Start by talking to your child, one to one, about how they’re feeling about getting the bus. If they have any concerns, address them one at a time. For example, they might be worried about where to get on and off the bus, which you can easily help them with. They might be worried about bullies who get the bus, in which case you can take the matter to the school. Letting your child know that you will fix any of their worries will go a long way in helping them feel at ease.

Make sure your child understands the rules of the road, as well as basic safety while on the bus. For example, they should always remain seated when the vehicle is moving, avoid talking to strangers and keep their bag close and properly zipped up. Teach them that being loud and disruptive on the bus is unacceptable and they should be respectful of other travellers. 

Most importantly, you should practise the route several times with your child until they feel comfortable with it. Figure out together where the bus stop is on each end of the journey and get to know roughly how long the journey will take so that, when the time comes, your child won’t be late.  Preparing them as much as possible will help ensure the overall experience is trouble free for them.