Preparing Your Child For Kindergarten
ShareIf your child has been to preschool, then they may be looking forward to going to kindergarten. You just have to explain to them that this is the next level up and there will be many similarities. However, if your child has mainly been home with you, then they won't know what to expect and will more than likely be scared about that first day of kindergarten. Here are some of the things that you can do to help them get over their fears and get them excited about that first day:
Take them to see the school ahead of time
You can try calling the school to see if there is any way you can bring your child down before the first day of school to see the classroom. The teacher may even be there preparing, and they can meet them at the same time. If not, you may be able to see about taking them to the school and letting them peek inside of the windows, so they can see what the inside of the class looks like. This can take all that part of the wondering and mystery out of the big day, which can really help to relieve some of those nerves. It's important to always let the school office staff know of your presence when you arrive.
Let them pick out their own school supplies
Take your child with you and let them pick out their own school supplies. You may have been given a list ahead of time of the things your child will need to bring with them. If you weren't, here are some of the things you may want to have them pick out:
- A backpack
- A lunchbox
- Folders
- A pencil box
- New school clothes
- Crayons
- Pencils
- A pencil sharpener
- Erasers
Read books about kindergarten with them
You will see that there are a lot of children's books out there about the first day of kindergarten and about kindergarten in general. Reading these books with your child can be a great way to help them get excited about experiencing some of the things they learned about in the books.
Meet up with one of their friends out in front of the school that will be in the same class
If they already have a friend who will be going into that same class with them, plan it with their parents to meet up with them in front of the school on the first day so they can walk into the classroom together. Contact a company like Triple R Child Care for more information and assistance.