Transitioning to Kindergarten

The end of preschool can bring up a lot of uncomfortable emotions - for children and parents both. For those who haven't seen a child off to kindergarten before (and even those who have...particularly if the transition was challenging the first time around), there can be a lot of anxiety and worry about the unknown. A lot of families also experience sadness that the close-knit community of the preschool years is coming to an end. The more we, as parents, are able to identify and validate our own emotions during these more challenging times, the better we can support our children to do the same.

Here are a few tips for helping children (and ourselves) through this transition period:

1. Talk openly with your child about their feelings regarding the transition to kindergarten. 

Listening without judgement ("that's silly to feel worried") or brushing off their feelings ("you don't need to be worried. It'll be fine") will provide your child with the pathway to express him/herself when they're ready.

Starting the listening and conversation process early will allow more reluctant or uncertain children time to process how they're feeling. This takes time for a lot of children! Role playing with puppets or stuffed animals can be a handy tool for talking about feelings, too.

Validating their feelings ("it's okay to feel worried..."), while offering reassurances, will help to build your child's confidence and comfort in being an independent thinker.

2. Try not to show your own anxieties too much - or add to the anxiety of the experience (such as with a "countdown to kindergarten" chart). Instead, try talking with your child about your own kindergarten experience in a relaxed and informal way. Or have a sibling tell your child about some of their positive experiences from that year. (Save the overcoming-negative-experiences stories for later).

3. Create some familiarity.

If you know the school that your child will be attending, spend time on the playground there over the summer. Walk through the halls when the doors open again in August. Plan play dates over the summer with children who will be attending the same school.

For those families living in a swing district, spend time at both schools! We are so fortunate to live in a community with so many wonderful elementary campuses.

4. Prepare your child by playing the "what if" game.

At bedtime, or another relaxed time of day, talk your child through some of the unknowns of the day using this playful format.
"What if... you need to use the bathroom during class?"
"What if... you hurt yourself out at recess?"
"What if... you can't find your classroom?"
Talking through these scenarios and coming up with a general plan for each will provide your child with the power of information and, hopefully, help to ease some of the anxieties leading up to elementary school.

5. Read! Read! Read!

There are many great books about the kindergarten transition. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten is my personal favorite. Others include: Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!, The Pirate of Kindergarten, and Kindergarten Rocks! (to name just a few).

You might also consider reading stories about some of the uncomfortable emotions that your child may be experiencing leading up to kindergarten. Wemberly Worried and Chrysanthemum are two of my favorites. Of course, there are tons of wonderful stories out there to help your child learn strategies for getting back to green.

With all of these suggestions, remember not to go too overboard. Watch how your child responds and adjust accordingly. September is still a long way off and children at this age don't have a strong sense of time. While some children may need quite a bit of preparation time, others may not. You know your child best. Follow their lead.