It’s September and time for your child to start kindergarten. You have purchased the school supplies, the new backpack, new clothes, and new shoes. The first day of school you are so excited for your big kindergartener! But when you get to school, it is quite obvious that he is not as excited as you are. This school is much bigger than his preschool. It is full of unknowns. And he definitely does not want you to leave!
Many a child will not allow her parents to leave her in the classroom with the teacher for weeks into their kindergarten year. There are many books about kindergarten that help children with ABC’s and 123’s and those are very helpful. But when a child needs to feel comfortable about being left in a classroom, what that child needs is a book that will walk him through the kindergarten year in a way that would help him feel more comfortable about his parents leaving him in the classroom.
With over 25 years of experience with children, and two of them as a kindergarten teacher’s aide, I can tell you that your child’s first days and weeks of kindergarten can be a smooth transition. I had many children in my kindergarten that just needed to be prepared for kindergarten by being told what to expect in order to feel safe walking into the classroom.
What will the first day be like? What will we learn? What kind of field trips will we go on? Most important, will anyone at school think I’m special? Who are all the adults I will be spending time with while I’m at school? What happens in the classroom throughout the year?
Make sure you read as many books about going to kindergarten to your child as you can. Look for books that talk about all aspects of the school year. Take your child to the school and walk them around the different classrooms they will be spending time in. The library, the gym, the music room, the kindergarten classrooms, the school office, and the playground. Introduce him to the principal, the secretary, the teachers, and the teacher’s aides. You will give them the best possible start to their school year by helping them feel comfortable in their new surroundings.
