Starting with kindergarten can be quite overwhelming, exciting, and scary at the same time.
For some kids, it’s a new start; for others, it is a transition from pre-school to a higher class. As parents we are always concerned about our kids’ reactions and acceptance of changes hence we need to prepare them for this big day.
Here are a few tips to build excitement and prepare our toddlers for their first day.
Set a bedtime and morning routine:
As your child moves to school, there will more likely be a change in the morning routine with an early wake-up time. Based on the school time, you need to set a bedtime routine. Ensure that the child goes to bed on time to get a good sleep and is fresh in the morning. Try out the morning activities that the child will be covering before going to school so that there are no surprises on the first day.
Introduce basic concepts:
Children who are well versed with the basic skills often tend to be more comfortable in class. Explore basic concepts like numbers, colors, shapes, and letters. You can ask your toddler to count the number of pencils, recognize letters, or talk about different colors and shapes.
Make reading fun:
When at kindergarten, your child will be learning basics like reading and writing. Read out to your toddler and equally engage them by allowing them to hold the book, turn pages, or ask them to recognize characters.
Offer a variety of arts and crafts activities:
Encourage your children to explore new activities like painting, cutting paper for crafts, sparkling games etc.
Set up playdates:
Children need to maintain their social skills. Setting up playdates with new friends at school will help them connect with other kids and make the first day at school more comfortable.
Let your children make their own choices:
Encourage your kids to select their clothes and dress themselves with a little help of course. They can wear their socks and shoes and remove them back. They can make the choices to help them with the household chores, especially cleaning their room
Work on proper washroom skills:
Help the kids understand how to zip up their pants, pull their bottoms up and down, flush the toilet, and wash their hands.
Play games that involve directions:
Children are usually expected to follow directions at kindergarten hence playing one or two-direction games like green light, and red light at home will help them follow directions.
Writing begins with scribbling:
Don’t expect your child to start writing or drawing things in a neat format. Provide a pencil and paper to your child for writing and appreciate every effort even if it’s just scribbling
Speak Positive:
Use positive, happy words when talking with your child about school. Talk about how much fun you—or an older brother or sister—had while in kindergarten.