6 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten

6 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten

Before founding Willow & Tate, I taught preschool and elementary school. There is nothing that is more of a whirlwind of excitement and anxiety (for all parties!) than the first week of school. Whether it is your child’s first time away from you for the school day or they are transitioning to a new learning environment, kindergarten is a big milestone. We want our children to be as prepared as possible for this new stage in life. But, how exactly can we prepare them? First off, I cannot stress enough that your child cannot be “behind” in kindergarten. Kindergarten is the basis for the rest of your child's education. But, if you want to make the transition smoother for all of you, here are some of my top tips to make their life, your life, and their teachers’ lives a little easier! 

  • 1. Go to the school.
  • This is a big one. Even if you only have time to drive by, show them where they will be spending their time. The unknown can be a big cause of anxiety for a lot of people, and children are no exception.  If there is an open house before school begins, try your best to attend so that your child can see their room and meet their teacher. This will prepare your child for what school will look like and will give them a chance to recognize some familiar faces on their first day. 

    • If you can’t attend an open house, bring your child to the school building to show them what it looks like. If your child’s school’s playground is open to the public after school hours, bring them there to play one day to familiarize them with the equipment. In general, the more familiarity you can build with any aspects of their physical space the better.  

     

  • 2. Teach them how to open their snacks.
    •  As with 
  • all of this advice, it is okay if your child is still learning this skill when entering kindergarten. Teachers will be there to help your child open their food if they need it and they will learn to do it on their own with time. But, if you’ve been opening everything for them by habit at this point, try teaching them to open snacks and juice boxes on their own. Because this is a skill that many children are still learning at this age, it can take them a while to get the help they need at lunch while teachers are helping their classmates. Since having a scheduled meal time is often new to kindergarteners, the sooner they have access to their foods the better! 


  • 3. Practice using scissors and writing utensils.
  • Of course, children will develop and improve their fine motor skills in school. But, if drawing and doodling haven’t been part of their regular routines yet, try to add it in when possible. Writing numbers and letters will be much easier if they come with the fine motor skills to create those images. Cutting with scissors is probably the biggest fine motor challenge. Let your child practice. I used to draw eyes with dry erase markers on my preschoolers’ scissors and told them to pretend they were an alligator eating the paper as it inched along the page. If your child has never used scissors before, this will be a challenge, but it’s okay! They will get better in time with practice. 

  • 4. Teach them to use the bathroom independently.
  • Your child might have been potty trained for years, but can they successfully access all parts of a public toilet? There are a lot of steps involved! Make sure your child can lock a stall door, wipe properly, flush the toilet, zip and unzip their pants, fasten buttons, use a soap dispenser, turn a faucet off and on, scrub their hands, use a hand dryer and paper towels, use an appropriate amount of paper towels, and identify what type of paper should go in the trash can and what should go in the toilet. If you’ve been helping your child in public restrooms until this point, help them work towards building these skills independently. 

    • 5. Neutrally explain potential joys and challenges. It is normal to want to get our kids excited about a new stage by only sharing the positive aspects of it. “You’re going to have so much fun!” “You’re going to make so many friends!” “It’s going to be great!” are common phrases we might want to say to keep excitement high and anxiety at bay. The truth is, not every aspect of school will be exciting. Just like any new setting, some of school might be intimidating, require patience, and simply take an adjustment period. The more your child has the opportunity to mentally prepare for these challenges the more prepared they will be when they face them in real life. When talking about school, discuss both potentially positive aspects of school and possible challenges. Frame potential challenges in neutral language by clearly stating what will happen rather than negatively framing those challenges by warning them of the uncomfortable emotions they might feel. This will open the discussion for how they actually do feel and allow you to help them problem solve through those feelings and scenarios. Here are some examples of negatively-framed language vs. neutrally-framed language: 

    Negative frame: “It might be scary to ride the bus all by yourself, but you’ll be okay. There are other people there feeling the same way!”

    Neutral frame:  “Next week, you will ride a school bus with other kids. I will wait with you at the bus stop until the bus comes. You will get on the bus by yourself. Your teacher will be waiting for you and your classmates when you get to school. After school, I will be waiting for you at the bus stop to walk you home. How are you feeling about riding the bus?” 


    Negative frame: “Don’t be sad if someone doesn’t want to talk or play with you. They might be feeling nervous about their first day.” 

    Neutral frame: “Some kids might want to play and some kids might not feel like playing. What could you do if you want to play but the person you ask doesn’t feel like playing?” 

    Preparing your child for potential joys and challenges in neutrally-framed language will help them understand that those challenges are perfectly normal and will help give them tools to face those challenges when they arise. 

     

    6. Teach them to be kind. In kindergarten, your child will most likely encounter differences in their new peer group that they have not seen before. They may see kids with different types of clothing, physical disabilities, or even different types of foods. They may encounter kids who are just learning English or don't speak any English at all. They may encounter kids who are still learning skills in which they already feel confident. Let them know this ahead of time and encourage them to embrace their classmates' differences and be kind to everyone. Work with them to brainstorm how they can be kind in different scenarios.  This video is a great one to watch with your child and discuss how kindness can have a ripple effect. Before school, ask your child ways that they can show kindness during the day and follow up with them in the afternoon on what they did to help ripple kindness into the world. Building this routine is not only a great way for your child to spread kindness among their peers, but also to build strong friendships! 

     

    These tips will certainly help prepare your child for kindergarten, but remember– the purpose of school is to learn. Learning in elementary school extends well beyond academics. In school, children learn to build independence, problem-solve, develop patience and teamwork, strengthen their fine and gross motor skills, take care of personal and classroom items, respond to setbacks, and so much more. Your child’s teacher will help your child and their classmates build these skills. So, apply this advice if it is helpful, but know that your child is entering a world where new people will love them and support their growth no matter what. 

    Best wishes with the year ahead!

     

     

    Lisa Johnson

    Founder of Willow & Tate Children's Company 

    M.S. Elementary Education 

     

    Back to blog