How to Prepare Your Kindergartener for School
Transitioning from kindergarten to big school can be both daunting and exciting for jarjums and parents. Deadly Kindy does a lot to help your little one feel comfortable and prepared for the change, but how can you continue that preparation at home?
Recognise the change
It’s important to recognise and understand both your and your child’s feelings in the lead up to starting school. It’s okay for children and parents to feel nervous or unsure but focusing your attention on the positives – like growing up, making new friends and learning new things can help ease anxious feelings all around.
Support their developing social-emotional skills
Children with a good understanding of their different emotions often find it easier to control those emotions. This means that they can generally handle things that happen in the transition to school, like obstacles, adversity or uncertainty pretty well. You can help your jarjum develop these skills by helping them to understand the different emotions they feel and why. You can also help teach them great ways to interact with other children, particularly when they might not get along.
Encourage exploration and play
Children learn through play, so it’s a great idea to encourage your child to explore the world around them by playing outdoors and in natural environments. You could try playing imagination games and creative arts and asking open-ended questions about their actions or what they’ve observed.
Build on early literacy and numeracy skills
Reading books with your child can help develop reading skills and a love of learning. Books are a fun and engaging way to learn new words, knowledge and get creative. They can also be a great opportunity to practice concentration, empathy and imagination.
Math skills can be developed by counting, sorting items into larger or smaller, measuring ingredients during cooking or dividing food into equal shares.
Establish familiarity with the concept of school
Familiarity builds confidence. Children feel secure and better prepared when they know what to expect. This is why our Deadly Kindy programs gently introduce the idea of school and the kinds of environment, behaviours and routines that will be expected of them.
Preparing your jarjum for their next step will reinforce the great work their Deadly Kindy teachers and educators are doing. It can also make a big difference in the successful transition to school.
Being well prepared for school also sets them up for success, not only in that first year, but also for years to come.