3 tips to prepare your child for the school route 2026

The school bus can sometimes be a bit of a pack: a group of mischievous children with a single responsible adult who makes sure they all behave and get to school safely. If your child has never taken a route, the sight of it can be somewhat intimidating. Being able to prepare him beforehand will make the transition smoother, and ultimately, he will develop his The wheels on the bus on the right foot throughout the year.

Action plan proposal

1. Approaching the collection point before the day in question minimizes scares. And if it is also a family reference point, this will make it much easier.

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2. Investigating whether a neighbor, known to the child, will be on the same bus will alleviate his or her anxiety. Seeing a friendly face during your first walk will be easier.

3.The game is always the best method. A few days before starting classes you can read a story together about riding the bus or act it out with the stuffed animals and toys you have at home.

4.If your child loves music, you can teach him the English song 'The wheels on the bus' to normalize it.  You will love it!

'Get on a bus with a stranger?' Surely, you have talked to your son about not talking to strangers, or that he should never get into someone else's car, and curiously, now we are just asking him the opposite. When children are not sure about a new situation, they look to their parents: 'Should I be afraid?', they ask. So it is vitally important to show calm and security, especially when you are going to get on the bus.

Get ahead with words about what you are going to experience

Children like to know what is going to happen, they experience it with security and excitement. So let's take advantage of the days before to tell him that we will walk to the stop where we will wait for the route to arrive along with other children. When the bus stops, all the children will form a line (a little train) to go up the stairs, you will say "good morning" to the driver, and you will look for a seat. When he arrives at school he will get off and thank the driver.

Prepared for surprises

Whether the journey home from school is short or long, children are in contact with other children of other ages, which can cause them to observe behavior or language (adult swearing) that they have never seen or heard at school or at home. "The important thing is not to overreact," experts say. "By showing shock and horror, we only make ugly words seem more powerful." The ideal is to be as natural as possible with phrases like: "That's rude" or "That's unpleasant", and briefly explain why, before changing the subject. If he insists that all children do it, calmly tell him, "I hope you make the right decision." Then take a deep breath and move on. After all, he still has many years of riding the bus ahead of him.