My First Grader Hates School. What Do I Do?

Friends, the new school year has now started in every German state, and some kids have already made it through their first few weeks. That includes Johann, the son of our reader Maria. He started first grade in Hamburg, and he has already had enough of the school routine….

What Do I Do? My First Grader Hates School!

Friends, I could use some help with something that's really weighing on me. I have two kids, and my older one just started first grade. He was a very happy daycare kid and honestly never wanted to leave. That's why we deliberately waited an extra year to start him in school. Intellectually, he's absolutely ready.

All summer we tried to get him excited about school. We bought a backpack, made his Schultüte ourselves (the big cone filled with treats that German kids carry on their first day of school), and read books about starting school. Of course we also promised that we'd visit his old daycare regularly. It actually seemed to work, and he was looking forward to the first day.

But now, a few weeks in, there's no excitement left. Every morning he tells me he doesn't want to go to school anymore. He says he wants to go back to daycare, and that he doesn't understand why he has to go to school at all. Sometimes he refuses to get out of bed, and he often cries the whole ride to school.

His classmates are kind to him, and so are his teachers, but I'm a little nervous that will change if he keeps crying in front of the class every morning. Kids can be mean, and I don't want him to get stuck with the label of “crybaby.”

I honestly have no idea how to handle this. Should I keep going in with him and walking him all the way to his classroom? Should I be “tougher” and send him into the building alone? I'd love to know if other parents have been in this situation, and how long it took their kids to settle into the school routine. Do you have any tips for what helped your kids? I'd be so grateful to hear from you!