Assess His Skills
If you're worried about your little one making
a smooth transition to kindergarten, take
heart. The majority of children are well
prepared to begin kindergarten, according to
Fred Morrison, a professor of psychology at
Loyola University in Chicago. Morrison gets
lots of questions from parents who wonder
whether their child is ready to start school.
Is yours? For the answer, think about your
child's development in four areas: literacy
skills, social skills, self-esteem, and
peer-relations skills.
1. Literacy skills
Kindergarten is designed to develop kids'
literacy skills in preparation for first
grade, says Morrison. Most kids are adequately
prepared for the demands that kindergarten
will place on them. If your child attended
preschool, you will notice very minor changes
in kindergarten and the early grades.
2. Social Skills
Parents worry about two types of social
skills: how well their child gets along with
other people, and work-related skills (a
child's degree of independence, level of
responsibility, and ability to cooperate).Essentially, these
are the skills your child will need in order
to learn in a classroom. He'll also need to
follow directions, behave while unsupervised,
and clean up after himself. "These skills are
as critical to learning as reading and math
are," Morrison says. "It's a big concern in
the education community that kids are coming
to school without these skills. Kids will
build on them every single year throughout
school."
3. Self-Esteem
Morrison says not to worry too much about your
child's self-esteem. "Research suggests that
poor achievement isn't a result of a bad
self-image. And at the beginning of
kindergarten, the vast majority of kids think
very highly of themselves."
4. Peer Relations
Most kids interact well with other kids; only
a small percentage have difficulties
interacting in the classroom or on the
playground.
Remember that as a
parent, you are your child's first teacher.
Your child will learn and develop many skills
while at school, but those that he learns from
you -- how to cooperate, follow directions,
and clean up after himself -- will help him
get off to a great start in kindergarten!
Help at Home
Most likely, your child will experience a
variety of emotions before starting
kindergarten: happiness, pride, and excitement
about growing up; sadness over leaving the
teachers and friends at preschool behind; and
fear of the unknown. The overall experience
could leave her with ambiguous feelings.
"When young children
feel complex emotions, they don't know how to
deal with them. Their parents need to guide
them," says Norma Richard, assistant professor
of education at the National College of
Education of National-Louis University in
Illinois. Be sure to tell your child that she
can master these feelings -- tell her, "You
can do this!"
Preparing your child
to make a successful transition from preschool
to kindergarten begins at infancy, through the
loving environment that you create for her.
Kids have to know that their parents "are
crazy about them," Morrison says. They need to
feel unconditional love, to feel safe and
secure in a warm, nurturing environment. You
need to provide your child with standards and
limits on her behavior, and a predictable
schedule, including bed time and rising time.
Try to eat dinner
together as a family. Set a specific time for
brushing teeth, taking a bath, and getting
into bed. Kids have to know what's going to
happen to them and what's expected of them.
When they do, the transitions they face
--including that first big one from preschool
to kindergarten -- will go a lot more
smoothly.
Talk It Out
How you view the beginning of kindergarten --
and how you communicate that to your child --
will have a great impact on how she handles
her transition to kindergarten.
"First of all, think
of this transition as an opportunity for your
child to grow," says Norma Richard. "It's
important to help your child cope with the
difficulties she will face in terms of loss
and separation."
Don't hold back --
it's important to talk to your child about
starting kindergarten. Try to answer all her
questions! "Kids have fears about what's going
to happen next because they have no experience
to build on," says Richard.
Listen hard, so you
can be reassuring. Don't just say, "You'll be
fine, don't worry." Address your child's
concerns. Richard suggests that you give your
child plenty of opportunities to talk about
kindergarten before the school year starts.
You can kick off a discussion by mentioning
any field trips your child took in preschool.
Ask, "I wonder what trips your new teacher
will take you on?" If you suspect your child
is sad, say, "Some children are sad when they
leave preschool. How are you feeling?"
Practice Routines
Ritualizing back-to-school time is another way
you can help make your child's transition to
kindergarten a bit easier. Who doesn't
remember the fun and excitement of going out
to buy school shoes for the new school year?
Make a big deal out of going to buy a lunch
box and a new book bag. Norma Richard also
recommends bringing your child to the new
school and letting her meet the new teacher,
see the classroom, and tour the building. If
you can't stage a
dress rehearsal
of your child's first day, even just driving
past the new school can help to familiarize
your child with it and help set her at ease.
Excerpted from "From
Preschool to Kindergarten," published in
National PTA's Our Children magazine.
