How to Prepare a Child for Kindergarten
Your toddler’s growing up, and soon she will be on her way to kindergarten. It’s one of the most important milestones of her life, and chances are she’s feeling anxious and scared of this new challenge. As a parent, you need to support and prepare your child, so this won’t be a very difficult experience.
Educational Preparations
Kindergarten education is the most basic, but it can be a struggle, especially for youngsters who don’t know what to expect on the first day. Educate your child on basic lessons that they’re going to tackle will be very helpful when she faces them herself. Some points you should teach her include:
kindergarten kids
Sounds and letters - Sound and letter comprehension are very important. Review letters and sounds on a daily basis to ensure retention. Help her associate sounds with pictures and pictures with letters. You can use storybooks for this.
Basic writing - Kindergartens will be asked to write every now and then. Start with the alphabet. Trace the letters on a paper and ask her to copy them. Give her a writing pad and chunky pencils to use. When she’s able to do this, teach her to write her name.
Numbers - Help your child learn 1 to 10. From there, count from 11 to 20, then 30, 40 and 50. You can do this by letting her do “counting tasks”. For example, if you’re preparing dinner, ask her to count how many potatoes/carrots/apples you’re using.
A few nursery rhymes and songs - Teach her famous nursery songs like “ABC”, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “Humpty Dumpty”, so when they sing these in class, she’ll be able to join in.
Make educational toys for her, learn how to make creative toys for toddlers.
It also helps to prepare your child on what happens on the first day. Let her know (very gently) that you’ll need to leave her at school with the company of other kids, and she needs to follow the teacher. If she finds this alarming, tell her not to worry, and that you’ll be waiting to pick her up as soon as school’s dismissed.
Preparation For Social Interactions
Your child will face many new people, including her classmates and teachers, as she enters kindergarten. If she’s not used to this many attention, she’ll be overwhelmed, even scared. Even before she starts her first day, help her improve her social skills and confidence.
Help her develop good habits. Give her minor chores and rules to teach her to be responsible. Instruct her on how to talk to grownups and how to say words like “Please” and “Thank you”. Teach her the value of sharing and helping others.
Encourage her to make friends. If she talks about a new classmate or classmates she gets along with, find a way for them to spend time together, such as inviting them over for a snack or on your child’s birthday party.
Bring her to places with plenty of kids, such as the playground and day care center. If possible, bring her to the kindergarten school and tour her around the classrooms, restrooms, library and playroom.
On The Big Day
Let her sleep early the night before. A toddler needs 10 to 12 hours of sleep.
Make sure she eats a healthy and filling breakfast.
Help her pack her schoolbag.
Give her a piece of paper with important basic details, such as her name, address, your (parent’s) name and contact numbers.
If she feels lonely, give her a family picture to carry with her. It’s a reminder that she’s there to support you.
Be with her as she enters the school. Hold her hand if she wants you to, then gently guide her towards the other kids. If she throws a tantrum or cries, console and calm her gently.
At the end of the day, make sure you’re there waiting for her when school’s out. Let her talk about everything they did and pay attention to her stories.
Many parents find kindergarten a challenging experience, but as long as you prepare for it early, you won’t have as much trouble as you think. Just follow these tips and let your child have a great time at school.