Mom, I’m On My Way To ‘Big School’ – How To Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten

Is your child ready to get into big school?

Whether it is nursery school or kindergarten you call it, it is time to get them ready for that new challenge.

How can you help your child to transition well into kindergarten?

When my son was moving from Pre-School to Nursery, we had to attend a pre-school ‘graduation ceremony’ for him at the time.

I remember there was someone there to speak to the parents about what to expect in Nursery school. I also recall that the Pre-School where all my kids have attended have this wonderful practice of preparing the kids for Nursery by allowing them to take responsibility for a lot of things, even at their young ages.

Children are taught to do little tasks that will instill in them a sense of ownership and responsibility.

If you want to know more about how to make a good choice of school for your child, you can check here

Now that you are preparing for Nursery School for your child, it’s not just about preparing the kids academically that’s important, there are a whole lot more things your child should be learning at this crucial time, to gain some level of independence.

Nursery/Kindergarten is a bigger place, and the teachers/care givers will have more expectations from your child than when they were in pre-school. So, what are some of the things you need to start paying attention to, to help your child with the transition:

1. Can my child dress up himself?
If your child is making the transition to nursery school soon, you’ll need to allow him to start dressing himself. No one is going to help your child pull down his pants to use the rest room in Kindergarten. ask yourself a few questions like “Can my child tie his shoe laces? can he undo and redo his buttons?” Let the practice begin now. We realize that he may not do the greatest of jobs with this, but practice they say, makes perfect.

2. Taking responsibility for her own things
Let your child start to take ownership and responsibility for her own things. Let her carry her back pack and lunch bag herself (buy age appropriate back packs and lunch bags for your child). Let your child be responsible for getting his bag to and from school, only with your supervision. Don’t let his things be your sole responsibility. He’ll be responsible for all of this in Nursery School. When you go out with your kids, let them carry their own stuff, you’ll be amazed at how much they can do at that age. Don’t be quick to rush to their rescue every time, let them learn to be responsible.

3. Set up Routines at home
If you haven’t already started this at home, you’ll need to start. It helps the kids’ transition better to big school where there are routines and time frames for everything. Guide him through getting ready for school, setting out clothes the night before, and so on. Start now as this will help when Nursery school begins. It also helps you as Mom not to have to do everything yourself.

4. Can my child bring out the lunch bag out of the school bag at meal times?
This is a skill necessary for nursery school, there’s minimal help for the kids there. Your child must be taught to bring his lunch bag out, and set out his food to be eaten at meal times in school and also feed himself well. Don’t pack food in containers that your child won’t be able to open, or water bottles that he won’t be able to drink from on his own. Don’t buy things that are too sophisticated for his age.
These small things parents take for granted don’t come as easily to our kids, let them practice opening everything they’ll need to use to pack their foods, inserting their straws into a juice pack, opening a bottled drink, etc.

5. Prepare your child mentally

Talk to them about appropriate behavior, what they’ll expect from their new class, etc. Don’t overdo the talk though. You want them prepared, not nervous about the new school. Let them see it as something to look forward to, not something to be scared of.
More often than not, children adjust more easily than we are willing to give them credit for.

No need for Mom to be anxious, I am sure your child will do just great, with the right dose of encouragement from you.

I hope this will put your mind at ease.

Yours on this Mom Journey,