How to prepare for the first day of kindergarten
The first day of school is an important milestone in your child's life. Make it easier on everyone with these simple strategies
Ask most parents about their child’s first day of school and watch as their eyes mist over and their voices change. Even the most laid-back among us seems to recall details of the day — and all its mixed emotions — with astonishing clarity.
But say you’re interested in their child’s experience and there’s usually a self-deprecating chuckle with an answer like: “Oh…he was fine!” The odd parent will tell you about a child that had to be dragged into his school-age years. But by the time the big day arrives, most kids are curious enough about the whole enterprise to make it inside the door.
Either way, the first day of kindergarten is a major milestone for kids and parents. The launch of your child’s formal learning career, it’s also the beginning of new independence and of family life organized around school hours.
Preparing for the first day of school
Even if your preschooler can’t wait for the kindergarten doors to open, smoothing the pages of this new chapter with a little preparation is a good idea. High on educators’ list is a school visit. “Really, the key is understanding what it might be like,” reports Janette Pelletier, assistant professor of human development and applied psychology at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT), who is studying this transition into the school system. She encourages parents to take their children on a stroll through the school, peeking into the new classroom along the way. “Research shows that children are most often upset because they’re unsure of what’s going to happen next, where they put their things, who their teacher is, what they’re supposed to do,” she explains. “That kind of talk ahead of time and any possible experience to familiarize them are really the best things.”
While you can generally catch these tours during spring registration week, you might be able to arrange a visit in the week before school begins. Many kindergarten teachers are sympathetic to this need (check with your school about timing and staff availability). If you can’t get inside the building, rehearsing the walk to school, playing in the school playground and talking about the first day are good alternatives.
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