Preparing kids for preschool and kindergarten - what to do ahead of time

Do you have a little one starting preschool or kindergarten?  Little ones starting school for the first time can experience a whole host of different feelings ranging from pride at being a “big kid” that goes to school to anxiety about being separated from you and not knowing what to expect.

This time of year I do a great deal of coaching on how to prepare kids for school.  Knowing that transitions and new situations can be especially difficult for toddlers and young children as they haven’t had as much practice yet, I share a number of different strategies that parents can do ahead of time to help them prepare.  

What to do ahead of time:

Role-play to help kids prepare for school.

Kid’s brains can’t tell the difference between real and imagined so it helps to use pretend play to help them prepare ahead of time so they know exactly how to handle the different situations that will come up when they go to school.  Take turns playing the parent, child, bus driver, and teacher.

Practice the common daily routines like saying goodbye to Mommy and Daddy, drop-off or getting on the bus, putting away their backpack and lunchbox at school, sitting in circle time, asking for permission or help to use the bathroom, unpacking their own lunch and snacks, and packing up their backpack at the end of the day.  When you are the “student”, show them how to ask the teacher for help if they are confused about anything and don’t know what to do, and then make sure they practice as well.

Practice independent skills.

As you are role-playing in the different roles, give your child the opportunity to practice putting on their own coat and shoes, unzipping and zipping up their backpack, unpacking and packing up their lunch or snack box, and how to sit criss-cross applesauce for circle time.

Read books about going to school.

There are many books about going to school at the public library.  Plan to take a trip with your child to pick some out to read together.  As you are reading them, talk about the characters in the story and how they are feeling.  This can help give you some insight into how your child is feeling and you can use it as an opportunity to see if your child will talk to you about their feelings about going to school.

Plan a special time with your child to buy their school backpack.  If at all possible, let your child pick it out to give them a sense of control and reinforce that they’re a “big kid” going to school.

With these tips and a little planning ahead, you can help your little one prepare for a successful start to preschool or kindergarten.

If you want to add more tools to your parenting toolbox and learn how to support your child through change and going back to school, I can help!  This month in the Confident Parenting Club we are doing a deep dive into how to support and prepare kids (and yourself) for upcoming changes and going back to school!  Join the club to get all of your most pressing parenting questions answered and support to help your child have a successful start to school.  Click here to check out the Club, and use coupon code SCHOOL to get 25% off when you join.