Kicking Off Kindergarten with Confidence

There was a question posted on Mamapedia about how to help a ease a child’s anxiety about starting kindergarten.

As both a teacher and mother of four school-age children, I know how stressful an experience the start of elementary school can be. Here are some suggestions toward helping kids (and parents) kick off kindergarten with confidence.

Visit the school
A summertime sneak preview of the school, kindergarten classrooms and playground will help minimize fear of the unknown and make your child more comfortable during her first days of school.

Get into the Kindergarten Swing
A week or so before the start of school, begin easing your child into the school-year schedule. That way he’ll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on his first day.

Play down your own mixed emotions
Rather than rambling on about how you can’t believe your baby is growing up, emphasize how excited you are that she’s going to kindergarten.

Send a security object
The promise of being able to bring a favorite blanket or picture of mom and dad – albeit stashed safely out of sight in his backpack – will be worth its weight in lunch money in building your rising kindergartener’s courage.

Celebrate
Boost your child’s excitement about school with a special celebratory dinner the night before he starts kindergarten. Use colorful school supplies to decorate the table or the occasion. (Just don’t go overboard on the sugar!)

Talk about your first-day-of-school experiences
Psychologists believe that sharing family stories is one of the most effective ways for parents to emotionally strengthen their children. During your celebratory dinner, take turns sharing first day of kindergarten stories.

Ease into aftercare
Many children’s after school situations change with their entrance to kindergarten. If your child will be attending a daycare program after school, see if the facility offers a camp and enroll her there for a week or so over the summer; that way she’ll be settled when school kicks off in the fall. If you’ll be utilizing the school’s aftercare program, talk to your child about where she should go, who’s in charge and what to expect there.

Make sure she has a familiar face at school
Having at least one friend on the first day of kindergarten can make all the difference to a child; so call the school over the summer, ask for the names of a few of your child’s future classmates, and arrange a play date or two.

Read all about it
There’s nothing like an uplifting story about another kid in the same boat to help build a rising kindergartener’s confidence. Here are some worthy choices.

• “Annabelle Swift, Kindergartener” by Amy Schwartz
• “Kindergarten Rocks" by Katie Davis
• “Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten” by Joseph Slate
• “The Night Before Kindergarten” by Natasha Wing, Julie Durrell
• “Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!” by Nancy Carlson
• “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn

Find Your Place in the Kindergarten Circle
Truth be told, even after our child is primed and ready for his elementary debut, our work is not done. To the contrary, it’s just begun. Researchers have identified that the one factor constant in students who do well in school is parent involvement. So volunteer in your kindergartener’s classroom; make sure he’s geared and ready for school each day; and make a promise to yourself – right now when your child is still cute and baby-faced – to provide him with steady educational guidance, unwavering moral support and occasional kicks in the behind every single school day for the next thirteen years.