How to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten
Every beginning is tough, and not just for adults but children as well. The most difficult thing for children is a transition – the transition between activities, places, or even certain toys and objects.
You may have noticed that your child makes a lot of fuss or even throws tantrums when they need to stop doing something they enjoyed, or when you tell them that it’s time to go home from a playground. This happens because children don’t know how to manage their frustration and anger.
Starting kindergarten is one of the biggest first transitions your child will have to go through. If you’re looking for ways to avoid anxiety and tantrums, and for this transition to go smoothly, here are some helpful tips.
Visit the kindergarten with your child
To make the process and transition easier on your child, visit the kindergarten together. This should be done a week or so before the beginning of classes. This way you’ll be helping your child get familiar with where they’ll be staying, they will get to meet the teachers, and so on.
This is an important step in getting your child ready for kindergarten and it’s something that should never be skipped. If the kindergarten doesn’t organize this kind of open-door days or orientation, then schedule a visit yourself.
It’s crucial that your child gets to know their surroundings before the first day of classes, this way they will be prepared and know where they are going.
Playtime is important
You might already know this but let’s just put it out there – children learn through play. This means that time spent playing is not wasted. Children develop many skills through play, from physical, motor, and language to social skills. Play also helps them develop imagination and a sense of adventure.
If you allow your children to play at home, they will continue to do so in kindergarten as well. Playing in kindergarten will allow them to make friends and, in that way, become social. On the other hand, children who don’t know how to play or who don’t play enough will have a difficult time making friends.
If you’re planning to enroll your child in St Ives preschool, you should know that your child will have time to do activities that promote physical, emotional, cognitive, creative, and social growth as well as do projects that challenge and stimulate imagination and creativity.
Playing with other children
Children will make friends in kindergarten. Yes, this is true, but it’s not a bad idea to let your children make friends even before kindergarten. When you take your child to the playground or park, let them interact with their peers.
This is the ideal period to see how they interact with others, whether they are shy or confident, what type of personality do they have.
Your child’s interaction with other children is highly important even before kindergarten.
Establish morning and bedtime routines
Getting your child ready for kindergarten also implies changing up their morning and bedtime routines. Just like adults, children too, are creatures of habit and suddenly changing their habits can negatively affect them.
To help them transition and adjust better to the new situation, start by slowly changing their morning routine. Try to wake them up earlier than normal, give them breakfast and simply let them fully wake up. Teach them to wash their face and teeth and to get dressed before going anywhere.
Similarly, the bedtime routine should also be slightly adjusted. Since you aim to get your children to get up earlier, they should also go to bed a bit earlier. No more staying up late.
You should try to establish this new morning and bedtime routine at least a month before the kindergarten classes start.
Transitional object
This whole process and the transition is a huge deal for any child, this is why they need a transitional object. The transitional object is any physical object like a toy, blanket, photograph, anything that will take your place since you won’t be there with them.
This transitional object will serve as a security blanket, something that they can take comfort in when they feel insecure or anxious. If your child already has a favorite stuffed animal or a blanket, then you already have your transitional object. In case they don’t, make sure you choose one before starting kindergarten.
Teach them to be independent
Independence is something you should start teaching them early on. Things like going to the bathroom, brushing teeth, getting dressed are all the things that they should know how to do on their own even before starting kindergarten.
Apart from that, don’t be afraid to give your children small age-appropriate chores. This independence is what will help them make the kindergarten transition successful.
Kindergarten is important because it provides many new experiences and opportunities for your children. It helps them develop new skills, learn new things, and socialize with other children.
It’s also important to get your children ready for kindergarten and to make that transition as smooth as possible. Do everything you can to prepare your child for this new step in their little lives.