Get Ready for the First Day Feelings

As you and your kids get ready for the first day of school, there’s a good chance a lot of emotions come up. Kids can be excited, nervous, scared, or all three at the same time. It can be hard to help young ones navigate these feelings, but PBS KIDS and Arthur are here to help.

To ease the transition and get back into a routine, watch “Arthur’s First Day” together as a family to see how your favorite aardvark handles going back to school. Showing kids that they aren’t alone in this big step is an easy way to offer support. Play the Back to School game after watching the episode to keep the fun going, help your kids work on problem-solving skills, and get them excited about what the school year has in store.

Looking for other kinds of activities to get ready for school? Make a milk carton school bus together that uses supplies you probably already have sitting around the house! You can work on motor skills and creativity as you decorate your custom bus, plus talk through the morning routine if your child rides the bus to school. You can practice saying hi to the driver and friends and help navigate seating options if your young one is unsure of where to start.

Parents, we also have resources for you! Check out this blog post about using the Arthur episode to manage back-to-school feelings for your kids. There are great tips to get your kid talking about any worries or even how to get all the info about how much fun they had after their first day. Learn more and check out all of our free games, shows, and more at pbs.org/parents.

Watch “Arthur’s First Day”
https://www.pbs.org/video/arthurs-first-day-ddnfk4/

Play the Back to School game
https://pbskids.org/arthur/games/back-to-school

Make a milk carton bus
https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/milk-carton-school-bus

Read more on our blog
https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/managing-back-to-school-feelings-with-arthur