Whether your child is about to move from home to preschool or from preschool to kindergarten, you are likely going to be worried about how his first day will turn out.
Regardless of how much you know your child, it will be difficult for you to tell if he will be able to thrive in a school environment.
Preparing your child for kindergarten is a surefire way to ensure that they have a pleasant experience on their first day.
In this article, we willbe exploring some proven ways to help your little one prepare for kindergarten.
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Talk to your child
Before your child’s first day at kindergarten, you should make out time to talk to him about it. This could be when you are in the car, changing his diaper, or playing with him.
Pay close attention to your child’s response, be it verbal on non-verbal. And be careful not to answer the question you asked your child yourself.
Read to them
Make it a habit to read books that revolve around school preparedness weeks before enrolling your child in a school. Doing this will make the transition process smoother. What’s more, it will help your kid get a clear picture of what to expect in school.
Below are some amazing books about school preparedness.
- David goes to school by David Shannon
- Kindergarten, Here I come! By Kevin Henkes
- The kissing hand by Audrey Penn
Provide experiences away from you
Before your child’s first day in kindergarten, you should take steps to help him become comfortable around other kids. This could mean everything from signing him up for swimming classes or religious education classes.
You can take things up by providing situations where your child will have to take instructions from someone else. If you do this, your child will know how to listen and take instructions from others.
Encourage independence
In kindergarten, your child will be asked by his teacher to carry out a number of tasks by himself. Encouraging your child to learn how to get things done by himself will help him handle multiple tasks in kindergarten.
Below are some effective ways to encourage independence and self-care in kids.
- Ask them to get dressed on their own (tie their shoes or zip their jacket)
- Encourage them to clean up their toys when they are done playing
Don’t expect too much from your child
Many Singaporean parents want their kids to read, write, and perform exceptionally well academically while in Kindergarten.
If you think this way, you are likely expecting too much from your kid.
Always remember that kids don’t have to become mini scholars in their kindergarten days. In fact, you shouldn’t be worried if your child isn’t able to read fluently in his first few months in kindergarten.
Your child’s focus during kindergarten should be on learning everything from numbers and letters to shapes and colors.
Having a balanced expectation will ensure that your child has a pleasant experience in preschool.
In Conclusion
To ensure that your child has a pleasurable experience in kindergarten, you must take steps to prepare him. This can mean everything from encouraging him to do things by himself to taking him to places or events where he will have an opportunity to mingle with other children, peers, and adults.