By Shelley Heaphy
If you’re preparing a kiddo for school, the countdown is on, one more month. I remember worrying about preparing my kids for the big transition of going from home to school, and I’m certain I’m not alone. There are definitely a few things you can do in the next month to allow your child to feel more confident about the big changes to come. Hopefully some of these suggestions work for your kiddos. We had three kids start school and each one was extremely different. We had the shy but excited kiddo, the kiddo who hated school every single day (and still does) and the very independent child who walked onto the bus without a backwards glance.
1) Make sure your child can open and close the containers or baggies that you pack their lunch in. Have them practice with the containers over the summer before sending it to school with them. If you’re sending packaged food, a good tip is to pre-open the wrapper so your child doesn’t have too much difficulty getting it open during snack or lunch time. They may be shy or timid and take a while to ask for help– wouldn’t want them to miss out on snack time.
2) Lunch ideas – ok I’ve been making school lunches for six years and I still need inspiration with this. I scour ideas on the Internet, on Facebook sites and Pinterest. I ask my kids about lunches they see at school that they want to try, and for any ideas of things that they think they may enjoy. We try to do at least one day of leftovers per week (in a thermos). This year we added salads (that they mix themselves) to the rotation. The best food to pack is the food they will eat. Have them help you make lunches so that they actually eat it – healthy choices are highly recommended. For the beginning it will be mostly trial and error of what they will actually eat when you’re not present to make them.
3) Encourage your child to be as independent as possible. Take that extra five minutes to let your child put on their own shoes, coat, clothes, etc. This will go a long way in enabling your child to accomplish these tasks independently for school. A few tips for clothing: Velcro shoes are a must at school – skip the laces. Make sure they practice putting their shoes on, and figuring out the right feet (a great trick is putting a sticker or marker dot on the inside of both shoes and having them “kiss” so they know which foot goes where). Ensure that they can pull up and pull down their own clothing, no tricky overalls or tight jeans with buttons – makes going to the bathroom so much easier. A great way to teach your child to put on their coat is the flip trick – put the coat down on the ground let your child bend down put their arms into the sleeves and flip over their head. Also, teach him/her to button and zip up their coats on their own.
4) For us, the transition to school was the first time my kids were leaving home. Many kids leave daycare to head to school and this tip won’t apply to them.Make sure your child is comfortable being apart from mom/dad so that it is an easier transition to Pre–K. If your child is home with a parent daily, take him/her to grandma/grandpas for a few hours or drop your child off at a friend’s house for a few hours. These short visits will make him/her feel more comfortable being apart from you and will make the transition to school easier.
5) Let school be fun for your child. When back to school shopping, take your child shopping with you and let them choose their new backpack, lunch kit, and indoor shoes for school. He/she will feel proud to show them off to their new friends at school.
6) You can help your child learn to write their name by laminating their name on a piece of paper and giving them a dry erase marker to trace the letters. This will be a great start in learning their name and letters. You can also create the whole alphabet on cardstock. If the whole name is too much, start with the first letter of their name. Having them be able to identify that letter will help them find their lockers and bins during those first few days of school.
7) Counting – count everything, all the time, everywhere.Stairs, grapes, cars, people, birds, animals. Practice together and make it fun.
8) Read to your child. They will be read to at school, often.Help them practice sitting and listening to stories so that they are more comfortable doing this when school starts.
9) Get into the habit of picking clothes out the night before school so that in the morning your kiddo knows exactly what to put on.
10) When school starts, so do schedules. A regular bed time, a wake up time, a time to catch the bus etc. It’s a good idea to practice these times a bit before school starts so that the transition goes smoother.
Pre – K and Kindergarten are wonderful experiences for your children; they will meet new friends, gain independence, participate in lots of fun activities, take field trips around town and explore the school community. Trust that they are in great hands when they head off to school, those teachers will absolutely love your kiddos.
Enjoy the rest of the beautiful summer vacation, back to school will be upon us before we know it.
