Top Tips for Preparing Your Child For the School Bus

The prospect of catching the school bus for the first time can be unnerving for both children and their parents. If you feel your child is ready to take this step towards independence, you can help make sure they’re prepared for a hiccup-free journey to school by following these tips from an independent school in London. 

Practice The Journey 

If it’s a public bus they’re catching, it’s important to make sure they’re familiar with the route before they head out on their own. At the weekend or in the school holidays take the time to do a practice run. Make sure your child knows which stop to get on at, how to flag the bus down, and where they need to get off. Point out a landmark before their stop and tell them to keep an eye out for it so they know when to press the bell. This will all give your child a bit of peace of mind when it comes to riding alone. 

Talk About Bus Safety 

It’s important that your child knows how to behave safely whilst riding the bus. Encourage them to find a seat if they can, and to always hold on if they can’t find anywhere to sit down. Discuss stranger-danger and explain how important it is not to speak to people they don’t know whilst travelling on the bus. They should know to only ever get off before their stop if instructed to do so by the driver. If your child doesn’t already have a mobile phone, this might be the right time to give them one. It doesn’t have to be a smart phone or anything fancy, just as long as they have a way to contact you if they need to. 

Address Concerns 

Your child is likely to have questions or worries about getting the bus for the first time so it’s important you discuss them in advance, this way you can put things in place to make the journey more comfortable for them. If your child is worried about catching the bus alone you could try and find out if a child they know takes the same route, and arrange for them to meet on the bus. If they’re worried about being late and missing the bus you could arrange to drop them at the stop so they know they’ll get there in time. 

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