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Hello parents and caregivers,
Welcome to First Connections’ “Getting Ready for Kindergarten” newsletter! My name is Ellie Springer. I have a Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education and have worked in the field for over 20 years, the last 12 of them at First Connections, where I facilitate playgroups and support caregivers in understanding child development and how to support their children.
My hope is that in this newsletter I can share some insights and ideas with you on how to get your child (and you) ready to start kindergarten and to assuage any concerns you might have about this transition. Starting kindergarten can feel like a big deal for many families, and children and adults can have some big feelings about it. So if that is true of you and/or your child, you are not alone! I trust that you and your child will be okay, and I am here to support you.
My first piece of advice, even though it feels like such a big deal, is to downplay the transition, especially with your child, right now. Talk as little about kindergarten as you can. Only bring it up if you will be doing something with them that has to do with kindergarten, or answer their questions if and when they come up. Young children don’t understand time the way we do, and they live very much in the moment or immediate future. So if you talk about it now, they may think kindergarten is going to start tomorrow or next week, and that could cause unnecessary worry.
In the interest of delaying any kindergarten "prep," I won't start sending calendars of activities to do with your child until April. And even then, you'll see many of the activities are things you're already doing and/or are very simple. If you're feeling anxious about the transition, remind yourself that it is months away, and you have plenty of time before your child becomes an official "big kid."
For now, the best thing you can do to prepare your child for kindergarten is to meet them where they are (instead of pushing them to do things they aren't doing yet but that you think they will need for kindergarten, like reading or doing addition), talk and listen to them, read with them, and spend focused (no phones) uninterrupted time (even 10 minutes a day) with them, following their interest and doing what they want to do. This will also help you enjoy your child as they are and make some more "little kid" memories!
You've got this!
Ellie
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