The first day of school can be stressful for children.  However, approaching it from a Biblical perspective can greatly improve the experience.  Our youngest child, Ellie was nervous about her first day of kindergarten.  After praying, we tried to follow some of the principles God used with the Israelites and found they greatly helped with the first day of school transition.

1.    The first key is to remind the child of past successes.  Recognizing the importance of kindergarten success in establishing a positive outlook on school, we began surrounding Ellie with words of encouragement.  We talked about how much fun she had at preschool and reminded her she was anxious before her first day of school there as well.  Despite her nervousness, she made lots of friends, loved her teacher and had a great time.  God did the same thing by having the Israelites erect memorials after every great victory and accomplishment such as crossing the Jordan into the Promised Land.

2.    The next step entails painting the new first day of school adventure in a positive light.  For Ellie, that meant discussing some of the new things she would get to do in kindergarten.  For example, we talked about how she would learn to read and write as well as do ‘big kid’ things like having recess.  She started to see an opportunity to learn and do new things with other kids as a grand adventure.  By giving her glimpses of what she had to look forward to, it created an air of expectancy that chased away residual concerns.  God did something similar by having Moses recite all of the promises the Israelites could expect in the Promised Land.

3.    The final piece in embracing the first day of school as a new adventure rests with trusting God to meet the child in the new place.  We reminded Ellie one of the names of God is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide, which means God will provide what she needs for her new journey.  She is not alone.  God will be with her and will guide her.  All she needs to do is look for Him.  After crossing the Jordan, the Israelites celebrated Passover, the feast that started their adventure to the Promised Land 40 years earlier.
While Ellie excitedly (now) heads off on her first day of school, her Dad and I will stand on God’s promises and cheer her on!

Help children to embrace God’s hopeful and loving promises for them by encouraging them to see themselves as having great worth and value – a precious miracle to you and to their Creator.

Thumbuddy books and music do just that. They instill self worth and value and nurture trust and a strong bond between you and your child. The simple truths within Thumbuddy children’s books, uplifting kid’s music, creative preschool activities and curriculum and soaking music reflective of God’s loving and faithful promises, helps kids to embrace their first day of kindergarten, kindergarten success and every first day of school to come with hope and confidence.