Assess His Skills If you’re worried about your little one making a smooth transition to kindergarten, take heart. The majority of children are well prepared to begin kindergarten, according to Fred Morrison, a professor of psychology at Loyola University in Chicago. Morrison gets lots of questions from parents who wonder whether their child is ready to start school. Is yours? For the answer, think about your child’s development in four areas: literacy skills, social skills, self-esteem, and peer-relations skills.
Remember that as a parent, you are your child’s first teacher. Your child will learn and develop many skills while at school, but those that he learns from you – how to cooperate, follow directions, and clean up after himself – will help him get off to a great start in kindergarten! “When young children feel complex emotions, they don’t know how to deal with them. Their parents need to guide them,” says Norma Richard, assistant professor of education at the National College of Education of National-Louis University in Illinois. Be sure to tell your child that she can master these feelings – tell her, “You can do this!” Preparing your child to make a successful transition from preschool to kindergarten begins at infancy, through the loving environment that you create for her. Kids have to know that their parents “are crazy about them,” Morrison says. They need to feel unconditional love, to feel safe and secure in a warm, nurturing environment. You need to provide your child with standards and limits on her behavior, and a predictable schedule, including bed time and rising time. Try to eat dinner together as a family. Set a specific time for brushing teeth, taking a bath, and getting into bed. Kids have to know what’s going to happen to them and what’s expected of them. When they do, the transitions they face –including that first big one from preschool to kindergarten – will go a lot more smoothly. Talk It Out How you view the beginning of kindergarten – and how you communicate that to your child – will have a great impact on how she handles her transition to kindergarten. “First of all, think of this transition as an opportunity for your child to grow,” says Norma Richard. “It’s important to help your child cope with the difficulties she will face in terms of loss and separation.” Don’t hold back – it’s important to talk to your child about starting kindergarten. Try to answer all her questions! “Kids have fears about what’s going to happen next because they have no experience to build on,” says Richard. Listen hard, so you can be reasssuring. Don’t just say, “You’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Address your child’s concerns. Richard suggests that you give your child plenty of opportunities to talk about kindergarten before the school year starts. You can kick off a discussion by mentioning any field trips your child took in preschool. Ask, “I wonder what trips your new teacher will take you on?” If you suspect your child is sad, say, “Some children are sad when they leave preschool. How are you feeling?” Practice Routines Ritualizing back-to-school time is another way you can help make your child’s transition to kindergarten a bit easier. Who doesn’t remember the fun and excitement of going out to buy school shoes for the new school year? Make a big deal out of going to buy a lunch box and a new book bag. Norma Richard also recommends bringing your child to the new school and letting her meet the new teacher, see the classroom, and tour the building. If you can’t stage a dress rehearsal of your child’s first day, even just driving past the new school can help to familiarize your child with it and help set her at ease.
Excerpted from “From Preschool to Kindergarten,” published in National PTA’s Our Children magazine.
