For a child, it’s one of the first steps into the unknown and away from their parents. And for parents, it’s a constant worry of how their child is coping without them and whether or not they could have done more to make this transition easier. It’s without doubt, an emotional process for everyone involved.
Thankfully, there are some things that you can do to make sure that your child is prepared for this big step. If you’re interested in finding out what you can do to prepare your child for kindergarten, keep on reading.
Talk to your child
Teach your child that conversation is important. Start talking to your child early on regardless of whether they can respond to you or not. However, don’t forget that communication is not a one-way street, it goes both ways.As a parent, you should also learn to not just hear but also listen to your child’s response, both verbal and non-verbal. If you teach your child that talking is important, preparing them for kindergarten won’t be a problem.
You’ll be able to explain to them what kindergarten is, what is done there, and how much fun they’ll have there. Start the topic of kindergarten as something serious and your child will also do so and feel proud that you’re including them in the important stuff.
Teach your child to be independent
If there is one mistake that many parents make then that’s not teaching their children how to be independent. Independence is a crucial skill that will serve them a lot once they start kindergarten.Children who are not independent enough will get the worst of it. They will have trouble going to the bathroom alone, getting dressed, simply taking care of themselves. This, without doubt, will make their kindergarten experience thousand times worse.
If you want to avoid this and to make sure that your child is prepared and ready to start this new thing called kindergarten, then don’t be afraid to teach them independence and self-care early on.
Teach your child social skills
Another thing that can help you get your child ready for kindergarten is teaching them social skills. Help your child make friends even before kindergarten. Take them to parks where they will meet, play and interact with other children.Socializing with other children can also help you see how your child expresses their emotions, how they communicate and interact with others. It’s those social skills that will ultimately help your child get used to the new environment and being away from you.
Visiting the kindergarten
Since we’re talking about new environments, let’s broach the topic of getting familiar with the kindergarten space. To your child, the concept of kindergarten will be daunting no matter what. To make things easier on them and to help them grasp that concept better, you should visit the kindergarten together.Many preschools such as St Ives preschool offer the possibility of visiting the premises so that the child will get more comfortable with the idea of being there without their parents. They know that the adaptation process takes some time, and it depends on the child, so they are willing to help parents out and even guide each parent individually.
It’s recommended that you never skip this step when preparing your child for kindergarten, it can help them quite a bit transition to kindergarten without problems.
Provide experiences away from you
If your child has never been away from you before kindergarten, things can get messy. For children, being away from their parents is scary, they feel vulnerable, anxious, powerless, and insecure. And this instinctively makes them react more strongly.This is why you should provide your child with experiences away from you. Being away from you may help them learn to listen to and obey other adults as well. At kindergarten, your child will need to listen to their teacher or caretaker and obey what they tell them to do, so it will be easier if they have no problem with something like this.
Let your child play
Play helps children develop new skills (both mental and physical), nurture imagination, and a sense of adventure. Simply put, children learn through their play and that is precisely why you should always let them play.Children who are allowed to pay at home will have no problem adapting to kindergarten. They will have no problem learning new skills and connecting with other children. So, regardless of what anyone says, never impose on your child's playtime.
As you can see, getting your child prepared for kindergarten is a process that starts way before you enroll them in kindergarten. It’s both the little and big things that we do from the very start of their life, like teaching them to play, talking with them, teaching them independence, and how to interact with others.
Preparing your child for kindergarten is like preparing them for life, the earlier you start the better.