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