10 Things to Consider Before Your Child Starts Kindergarten
1. Can they take care of themselves and their clothes?
I will absolutely help your child with things they are still learning. That's what I'm here for! However, now is a great time to start encouraging independence with things such as buttoning pants, zipping jackets, and tying shoes.
2. Encourage being responsible for their own things.
At school, students will be responsible for packing and unpacking their own bags as well as for carrying all of their own things. When you go on outings, it is a good idea to have your child be responsible for carrying their own things (within reason, of course). Once school starts, make it a routine for your child to make sure their mail folder (provided by me) and lunchbox are stuffed in their backpack every morning and unpacked at the end of the day.
3. Lunchtime: Can they open everything?
There are so many great containers and water bottles out there now. Some are easier for little hands to open than others. At lunchtime especially, because of the number of children eating, a tricky container can mean waiting a bit for a teacher to help. Practice with opening and closing containers and bottles at home is time well spent.
4. Naptime: Phase it out during the weekdays.
Though we do have 15 minutes of quiet time after lunch, we do not have a nap time.
5. Getting along without their favorite comfort toy or blanket.
Adjusting to Kindergarten takes time. While it might seem like a good idea to ease the transition with the presence of a comfort toy, it actually tends to make it harder by stretching out the process of separating. My own daughter had some trouble leaving her "Bo-bo" behind when she started school. We took a picture of Bo-bo and made a necklace for her to wear around her neck. It worked wonders!
6. Limit after school activities early in the school year.
Expect your child to be exhausted! They will need time to build stamina.
7. Talk about it...but not too much.
Follow their lead. When you do talk about Kindergarten, be sure you aren't communicating any of your own parental anxieties (we all know that they are a very real thing)!
8. Label EVERYTHING!
Keeping track of their own belongings is part of learning in Kindergarten. However, learning means making mistakes. I guarantee that some articles of clothing (especially in the winter) will be misplaced. Name labels are of utmost importance for items being returned to the owner.
9. Create traditions for the first day of school.
A special handshake, first day of school breakfast/cookies/whatever, a call to Grandma/Grandpa, any little thing that makes the first day feel special!
10. Take pictures and ENJOY the moment!
What I wouldn't do to relive that first day of Kindergarten with my two daughters! It is a very special milestone and I will guide your child every step of the way!
