7 Tips to Get Ready for Kindergarten- Preparing Yourself and Your Children for Their First Day
It can be difficult to get ready for Kindergarten, for both the Parents and the child. Back to School is fast approaching, and it’s normal to be a little freaked out if your Child is starting his/her first year.
When my son, (who is now going into grade 1) started JK, I was more upset than he was! In fact, he wasn’t upset at all. He was super pumped to start school like a big kid. I walked him to school his first day, gave him a hug and a kiss, “Bye Mom” he said and went to join all his new friends. I sobbed like I had just lost my best friend all the way home, and then a bit more at home…. but as the year progressed, it got a lot easier. I was lucky that my son wanted to go to school! I was happy that we had no problem transitioning him into a classroom environment, because I wasn’t sure how well that would go as he had stayed home with me for all the years before that.
Let’s focus on some tips that may help transitioning your little one (and yourself) into a classroom, shall we?
5 Tips to Get Ready for Kindergarten- For Your Child
1. Routine- Establishing a routine prior to school is very important. Having a set bedtime will allow for your child to get enough sleep prior to the big day that will stretch until summer. We like to use 7:30pm as our bedtime for our Little ones because it works best for us.
2. Do a Drive By- As often as you can during the summer, drive by your Child’s school and make sure to point it out. “Look! There is your school! You are such a big boy/Girl!” Familiarizing your child with the school they will be attending, even on the outside will help. If at all possible arrange a “Walk through” of the school before the first day.
3. Focus on Learning- Take some time each day to focus on learning as much as possible. Read a lot, practice sitting still and having “Circle time” and practice writing out your Child’s name. This way, none of these things will come as a shock on their first day.
4. Go Back to School Shopping Together- This can be such an exciting time in a little one’s life. Let your child pick some of their own back to school stuff (within reason of course.) Such as: a Backpack, a Lunch Bag and maybe a super cool outfit they want to wear on their first day.
5. Let Your Child Help Pack Their Lunch- Again, within reason, allow your child to help you pack their lunch for their first day. Let them wash the fruits and vegetables, pick what they want to drink and even help construct a sandwich. Allowing them to help prepare for the first day, will make them feel as though they are in fact, grown up.
2 Tips to Get Ready for Kindergarten- For You
1. Relax- Before the big day, take some time for yourself to de-stress, you want to make this experience the best it can be for you and your child and going into the big day already stressed out? Bad idea.
2. Pack a Bag- Pack a bag for you to bring the first day of school. Inside the bag, put Tissues, Sun Glasses and Gum. If you start feeling nervous, chew the gum to distract yourself a little. If you feel like you are tearing up, put your sunglasses on. After all, you will not want to upset your little one by crying. The tissues are for when you make it back to the car… Have a good ugly cry now.
Love your last tip! I feel like crying just reading this! 🙂 Must pack gum!
Thank you Brandee! All will be ok I promise. If you need some extra support feel free to send me a message via my facebook page and we can chat. My 2nd starts JK this year too. We can cry together.