Transitioning from Daycare to Kindergarten

The transition from daycare to the more formal atmosphere of kindergarten can be stressful for your child. The new surroundings, discipline structure, strange children and other factors different from those she was used to can cause great pressure, leaving a lasting impact on her.

It is the first few days and weeks, which will set the tone for the years of formal study to follow. That should ensure a positive experience. It is very important for parents to facilitate the move and help make the transition smooth. Unfortunately, many of them often do not know what to do or how to do. Here are a few ideas, which you will find useful.

Image Courtesy : Pixabay.com

• Answer all questions: A child will have many questions about the new school. Answer them all without trying to sugarcoat any possible rough areas. Give everything a positive spin along the lines “You are a big darling now. This is what big children do”.

• No question is off limits: Let your child know she can ask you any questions about the new school – nothing is out of bounds. If you give her the impression that some questions are off limits, she may develop fear about things she is “not supposed to know about.”

• Discuss expectations of the new experience: Turn the tables naturally and ask the child questions about what she expects of the new school. Let her say what she thinks she will learn, how she hopes other children will be like, and in what ways will kindergarten be different from daycare. If the answers you get are not realistic, you have a chance to open a discussion and paint a fair picture. This ensures that your child will not encounter later the unexpected.

• Arrange for play dates with daycare friends: Set up play dates with daycare friends. This will help provide reassurance that old friends will not be left behind, as they too will move to kindergarten.

• Take your child for shopping school supplies: Starting school means a lot of shopping to be done. Take your child along with you and make her enjoy the ‘shopping-for-things-big-children-use’ experience. It will be quite exciting for her, creating a sense of importance of and anticipation about starting school.

• Train her in getting ready for school on her own: Start helping the child become independent in matters like using the bathroom, washing up, packing and unpacking the backpack, etc. She will have to do this in school and practice makes it easier.

• Host a special dinner: Have a celebration dinner the night before school starts. Let it be a big event and let the child feel proud of starting school.

• Get to know your child’s teacher: Without creating the image of a helicopter parent, get to know your child’s class teacher and a few attendants at the school.  That will make you part of the school experience and provide a feeling of security to the child.

• Let you child share with you the day’s experience: Talk to your child every day about what happened in school. Not just “How was school today?”, but seeking specifics like what was read/sung/painted in class, what games were played and so on. This will make it easier for you to spot any changes in routine or attitude; should you feel such changes could turn out to be a cause for concern, you could act promptly to check and fix them, if required. 

A good daycare, with the right balance of structured discipline and growth support, should prepare the kids for a smooth transition to kindergarten. A reliable online service helps find one such daycare in your area. That information will be useful to you in some way or other.