Kindergarten Transition Notes 

Your new school community:

- see what you can contribute, join any committees even if you can only contribute a little

- connect with other families right away in whatever ways you can

- give others the benefit of the doubt - there will be surprises! You’ll hear wild stories from your child! Communicate with gentleness and kindness

Your child’s emotional response:

- first days/weeks will be exhausting

- you may see your child having tantrums or regressing in other ways

- ask specific questions, not just “how was school today?” – things like “who did you sit with?” or “what book did you read?” 

- check your child’s weekly lesson plan and ask open-ended questions, “What kind of animals did you learn about? “Oh I see you did some painting today, what was your painting about?” 

Supporting your child:

-  don't buy too much stuff in advance! Start small!!! Make it a fun reward for making it through the first few weeks to buy stuff then once you know what your kiddo likes/needs

- create a calm, peaceful experience at home after school

- hot tip: set a calendar reminder for that first week of school to remind yourself that any unusual behaviors are NORMAL, and to give your child the benefit of the doubt, patience, love, understanding

- avoid saying negative things like “you can’t do this in kindergarten!”

- read books to prepare that tell the story of first days of school in a positive but understanding way that honors their complicated feelings

- children pick up on our anxiety, so really work to present confidence and comfort to them 

- have conversations with your child about what will be the SAME: classroom, circle time, friends, toys, etc.

- if you have an early start time, prep things the night before: outfit, lunch, etc. so that the morning isn’t stressful . . . find creative ways to save time like having visual checklists or eating breakfast in the car

- children will need to do more themselves: put on sweatshirts, open their lunch (have them practice!), tie shoes, go to the bathroom, etc.

- you’ll get fewer updates from teachers in kinder than preschool – just prepare yourself for this and know that if there are any problems the teacher will reach out to you

- Dialogs and conversations allow children to develop language skills and it gives you the opportunity to bond with your child. 

Drop-off:

- practice a drop-off routine in advance so that your child is prepared, ideally add something fun like a special handshake

- make it quick if possible: the longer you prolong it the more stress that builds for everyone

- have a plan for telling them where you’ll pick them up, which provides reassurance

Unexpected challenges:

- take things one day at a time

- give the benefit of the doubt at the start – be curious

- the school your child starts at might not be the best fit – be open to changing, it is NOT traumatic for your child! Think about the long-term fit over the short-term stress of a change: your child can handle it.

- if your child is having a rough time adjusting, acknowledge their feelings and consider a strategy like visualizing their feelings in a drawing or a graph (let’s write/draw things you DO like at school, and things you don’t like)

Academics:

- do not stress about this! The most important thing in kinder is building relationships, building comfort and community, learning to solve problems and express themselves

The Parent experience:

- it’s harder for the parent than the child! We’re seeing the beginning of a new big, long process. To them it’s just a day at a time!

- take care of yourself – plan something fun or distracting or important work meetings to focus on after that first drop-off

- check in with friends, be honest, be vulnerable about the ups and downs

- if you want to make fast friends with other kinder families: bring a box of tissues with “KINDER PARENTS” written on it and/or a box of donuts to share around :)

Recommended Books:

- Same, Same But Different; By Jenny Suek Ostecki 

- Goodbye Preschool, Hello Kindergarten By Sonica Ellis

- Wherever you go, by Pat Zillow

- What do you do with an Idea by Kobi Yamada