Whether you have a child who’s entering a school environment for the first time or you have a seasoned preschooler or older child, the elementary school experience can be daunting for both child and parents. Here’s a grade-by-grade guide to what elementary school has in store for kids. Before school gets started, get your child excited about going by visiting the school, meeting the teacher and reading stories about school experiences. Shop together for the supplies your child will need. Put on a brave face and make your goodbyes happy and upbeat as you leave your child for the first time. In kindergarten, it’s all about learning how to behave in school – standing in line, learning to be quiet at appropriate times and putting things in their appropriate places. But they’ll also learn about letters, sounds and simple math concepts. As they move into first grade, reading, numbers and writing take precedence, and your child might bring home a little homework each night. The social structure changes, and your child will likely work at a desk alone instead of sitting in a circle with other children. In second grade, reading and particularly spelling are emphasized, and math becomes more complex. Homework may ramp up to 20 minutes or so a night. In third grade, expect sophisticated writing, including cursive and writing prose. Group work and presentations may begin at this time. This also may be the time when your child gets less enthusiastic about school – keep a positive attitude about learning. Fourth grade is when school may get really tough – there’s more homework and an increased emphasis on testing. Kids will start doing research at this age and will read to learn instead of learning to read. Social rivalries might peak at this age, and cliques can cause some social pressure. Help soothe your child’s hurt feelings if need be. In most schools, fifth graders are the oldest, and they seem to love it. Work gets tough and more protracted, with research papers and long-term projects assigned. Stay in touch with your child’s teacher about math in fourth and fifth grade – this is the time at which it can get hard, even for parents who want to help out. This is the age at which kids may begin to learn sex ed – their bodies will change soon, and they need to know about it. These six years will probably fly by – enjoy them while you can!