08/22/2026
O'Neal Elementary Counselor Gabe Thompson offers some helpful tips for young students dealing with first-day-of-school butterflies🦋🏫🦋
FRESH STARTS
As schools welcome students to a new academic year, professionals offer tips for smooth transitions.
Tammy Hilderbrand Harty
Staff Writer
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. - You may be experiencing a nervous stomach, feelings of impending doom, or maybe exhilaration.
Everyone who ever started a new school year knows those feelings, including parents and teachers.
If you are a student, no matter your age, you know those feelings.
And if you are a parent of a student facing a new school year, you carry with you your own memories of a new school year, plus your worries about your child facing those worries.
The good news, says Gabe Thompson, a School Psychological Examiner and Counselor for O’Neal School in Poplar Bluff, is that all of those feelings are completely normal, and there is a lot parents can do to help their students, regardless of age, begin their school year on a positive note.
“Mr. Gabe,” as his students call him, is always thinking about how kids, and their parents, can better prepare for a new school year.
“From an elementary school perspective, one of the biggest things parents can do to help prepare their kiddos for back to school is just helping them get back into a school schedule,” Thompson said.
Even adults know it takes some time for their bodies to shift from vacation time to time back at work.
This is even more true for kids.
He suggests a few days before school starts, try moving bedtime back to earlier in the evening until the routine is matching what will be needed for school.
The same for wake-up times.
It’s even a good idea to have some “dress rehearsal” days where the whole family practices the morning routine of getting up on time, eating breakfast, getting dressed, brushing teeth, and being “school ready”.
Get those backpacks ready. Practice heading to the bus stop or whatever the method of transportation will be. The more familiar the routine, the easier it will be for kids and parents to adjust back to “school time.”
It’s also important to talk to kids about how they are feeling about the beginning of the school year.
Some kids will admit to being nervous.
Some kids will act as if they have it all together and are fine, but they may not feel as certain on the inside as they seem on the outside.
Parents need to tell their kids, regardless of their age, that everything they are feeling is completely normal.
“Your kids might be irritable, have trouble sleeping, or complain about stomach aches or headaches,” Thompson explained. “They may suddenly become clingy.
“Instead of telling them there is nothing to worry about, acknowledge how they are feeling,” he continued. “And let them know all of that is normal. They can feel that way, and still have a great first day of school. Talk to your kids about what they are looking forward to, and what they see as their possible challenges. Just talking it out does a lot of good, and normalizes all these feelings.”
Giving kids control over as much as possible is also important.
“Especially for younger kids, let them pick from a couple of outfits for their first day of school,”
Thompson suggested. “Let them help plan their lunch.
“They won’t have control over everything that happens at school,” he added. “But giving them some control over these little things can really help.”
Also talk about what happens after school.
“Who’s picking them up?” Thompson asked. “Where will they be going?
“What are they going to do after school?” he observed “Knowing what’s coming can be very reassuring to kids.”
And remember, how parents react to the first day of school also has a big impact upon the kids.
“Don’t be overly dramatic about your feelings,” Thompson emphasized. “We know parents are going to miss their kids, but don’t extend the good-by at school.
You want to reassure your child that his or her parents are also going to be okay with this change in schedule,.”
Parents shouldn’t expect that everything will go perfectly the first day.
“There might be tears,” he said. “Something might get left at home.
“Your child may come home completely exhausted. They might have a meltdown over something really small. All that is normal. It’s important to let them know they get a brand new chance to have an even better day tomorrow. They can handle it.”
Parents can help their kids develop comfortable routines, and they can always encourage their kids to ask teachers and other trusted adults for help anytime they need it.
The relationship with the teacher is also very important.
Stay involved with your child’s teacher and school, but don’t email the teacher over every detail. Don’t try to solve every problem for your child, because that is part of the growing process.
Older kids may also be nervous about a new school year, but they are less likely to say so. They may be quiet, they may be irritable.
“Older kids have a lot going on,” Thompson explained. “They may be worried about grades, friends, sports, fitting in, social media teachers, or they may just be feeling overwhelmed.
“Parents can help just by keeping their door open, letting their kids know that they are always ready to listen,” he added. “Focus on the positive things in their lives. Just be there for them.”
Thompson said more than anything, let your kids know it is normal to be nervous. It is okay to make mistakes.
“Kids need to know that no one has it all figured out,” he noted. “That is normal. “We don’t have to promise them that everything will be easy,” he noted. “But we can help them learn that they are capable of handing even difficult situations. And there are always adults around who will help them when they need help.”
The idea, he concluded, is to raise kids who are good people and who are confident of their own abilities.
No chapter in life is completely easy, but it is exactly that journey that turns those kids into great adults.
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