Helping Your Child Get Ready for the First Day of Kindergarten
We’ve nurtured our children and watched them begin to grow into wonderful little people in awe of the world and all their surroundings. Now it’s time to prepare them for the first big step in their lives – the first day of kindergarten.
Getting ready is probably the most difficult part. You have likely already been working to instill good, healthy habits into your child’s life but it’s even more important as they prepare to enter school to keep up with routines like getting enough sleep and a eating a healthy breakfast and lunch to help your child get through the day.
The next step in easing your child into their new school life is to help them foster independence. Allowing your child (within reason of course) to pick their outfit and dress themselves will help give them both independence and confidence. Keep in mind that this doesn’t include tying their shoes. It is not uncommon for children not to learn to tie their shoes until later in their kindergarten year.
You may also want to address items like making sure your child understands the importance of putting away things when they are done using or playing with them, putting the lids back on paints and markers, and putting the crayons back in the box when they are finished. Finally, you may likely want to have the “potty” talk before your child heads off to the classroom. This will help to ensure they are able to take care of themselves after using the potty and don’t forget to stress the importance of washing their hands when they are finished.
Talking over these few tips will help your child be better prepared for their exciting transition into kindergarten.
