Routine, learning and more growing is what to look forward to when your child starts school and it is one that we have been anticipating in our home. We are in full “Preparing for Kindergarten” mode!
I have officially registered Nikki for Kindergarten and here in Ontario, it is a full school day which is different from when I went to school. I only had to go for half a day which I do recall already being such a long day to be away from home. But I know that Nikki is going to love being away for the full day, especially with all the fun learning she will be doing.
Nikki is much more braver than I am and she is definitely a lot less shy than I was growing up.
So here I am a mom of a child who is going to embark on school life in September and I am embracing the experience as best as possible.
I am not sure if I will be able to prepare myself in time to drop her off on that first day of school as I clearly remember her first day of swim school…I was fighting back the tears as she left me without saying good-bye. Therefore, I can only imagine what the big school day will bring me. I am thinking that there is a lot of preparation that I need to do to help all of us adjust and that means there are a few areas to tackle before the big day.
Now there are tons of articles out on how to prepare your child for Kindergarten and as I read each one it started to make me feel a lot more anxious. The list is long and I want my child to excel so the pressure has already started! I figure that I need to put steps in place to help me as the parent prepare myself for my Kindergartener.
Emotions In Check And Ready
Emotions are wonderful and can be difficult at times to keep in check. I have noticed that my daughter feeds off of my emotions and energy so it is time to keep mine in check especially around going to school. I have been keeping my energy and conversations positive and exciting for her big day which is helping her feel confident for the new adventure. Her confidence in turn is making me feel a lot better about this big step in her life. Any time I do catch myself feeling a little overwhelmed with the preparation checklist, I take a break from it and take a nice bubble bath (those do wonders!).
Communicating With Other Parents
Best way to prepare yourself as a parent is to talk to other parents. I have started to ask questions to my friends who have already been down this route and it is comforting to me as I get to learn from them. Every parents’ experience and advice all differ which provides me with a wealth of perspectives. Therefore, talk with others and if you know parents that have children that are attending your child’s school then they are the best to ask!
Luckily for us, our neighbours attend the same school that my daughter will be going to and I got the inside scoop on the school, programs and the staff which helps in preparing me for the first drop off.
Get To Know The School
Don’t be afraid to ask the school the questions that you need in order to feel comfortable with this transition. Get to know the school. The school that we will be attending offers an information night which I think is great. It is an evening where parents and child can attend the school to get instructions on how we can help their child prepare for Kindergarten. They will also be providing a bag of materials to support the child’s learning. My daughter is already excited for this “goodie” bag.
I will be using this opportunity to get Nikki and I comfortable with the school setting and also meet the teachers in person. I hope they are ready for all the Momma Braga questions! 😉
Manage Expectations
Expectations are important to manage as you want to set yourself and your child up for success. This is why I am keeping my expectations realistic and being prepared as best as I can for the bumps along the way. This is one big step for all of us so I want to make sure that Nikki knows that we are by her side when she needs us but at the same time helping her build her independence. She will need to hone that skill if she is expecting to take on the world (This is why I need to manage my expectations as I always set them high). 😉
These are my four steps in helping parents prepare for Kindergarten as we are a crucial part to the transition and once we are confident, our child will also be too. Now I am not guaranteeing that there will be no tears as I know I will be crying my heart out (I have already started with just writing this article) but these steps might make it just a little easier. Above all, embrace, love and have fun!
Until next time…Happy Parenting!
-Momma Braga
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Beautifully written!