4 Ways To Prepare Your Child For Kindergarten

Starting kindergarten is a major step for children. This exciting time is the beginning of their academic careers, and maybe the first time in their lives they are going to spend their entire days relatively independent and away from their parents. While this is also a bittersweet step as it means your child is getting older, preparing ahead of time to make sure your child is ready to start the school year off on the right foot can make it an overall positive experience.

Here are a few ways to prepare your child for kindergarten to make their transition as easy as possible for both of you.

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Practice Independence

Since your child will have to adjust to spending the majority of their days alone without a parent present, it can be helpful to help them get used to doing some things on their own. Let your child practice using the bathroom alone or serving themself food, if they are not in the habit of this already. Let them know that although it is important to practice doing things independently, their teacher will always be there to help them during the school day if they need anything!

Brush Up On Reading Skills

Prepare your child for the academic journey ahead of them by building fundamental skills like reading and writing, which they will likely use on a daily basis in the classroom more than any other skills. Whether you incorporate reading or journaling into their bedtime routine or enroll them in a program like Frog Street to strengthen these skills, this will make things easier for your child both in and out of the classroom, and their future teachers will thank you.

Develop Routines

One part of schooling that young children struggle with is the fact that they now have a solid routine to follow each day and cannot do whatever they want. Practice routine building with your child by establishing habits and tasks to do at certain times each day, to add structure to his or her daily routine before entering the classroom.

Talk About Feelings

While starting school is an exciting next chapter in any child’s life, it can be scary! Be sure to take the time to talk to your children about how they are feeling about beginning school and taking the next step in their academic journey, and let them know that you will always be there to talk about any tough or big feelings they might be having along the way.