While some children are excited for starting kindergarten others are packed with jitters and don’t want to change the routine. It is important for the parents to know how to calm the nerves of their little ones and make them look forward to school instead of refusing to leave the comfort of home.
It is also perfectly normal if your child gets increasingly uncomfortable as the school days approach. However, it is better to start tackling this situation early on so when the school days start, your kid is better prepared to handle the new environment without feeling scared. Kindergarten experience is important for any child’s growth and later education and therefore it is pertinent to make this experience fun and rewarding instead of frightening.
Read on for four things that you can start doing to ease your child into accepting a change of surroundings and prepare for the first day of school.
Let Them Interact with Outdoor Environment
While kindergarten is the official beginning of a child’s life out of home, the most effective means of learning to interact with the outside world remain informal social communication. It is parents’ job to put the summer holidays at use and take the kids out in commercial playgrounds or playlands to make them interact and socialize with other children of their own age. If the child is already familiar with meeting new people and has a sufficient social skillset, kindergarten would not be so scary.
Take Them For a Visit to Their Future School
A casual walk around the school building will increase the child’s familiarity with classrooms, playground equipment, cafeteria and bathrooms and it won’t be as daunting as seeing the building on the first day and being on their own. Show them the interesting places around the school and instill in them an excitement to be able to play and learn at the new school. Colorful paintings and classrooms are ways to make the school experience more interesting for kids and by showing them all that beforehand can make it more exciting and less frightening for your little ones.
Teach The Basics at Home
Sometimes the children are not only afraid of a new environment but also of falling short as students. Help them overcome this fear by teaching alphabets, numbers and other basics at home before they start school. They don’t have to excel in them but it will make it easier for them to recognize their studies and learn faster in school. It will also boost their confidence when they come across something in class that they are already familiar with.
Keep it Light
Don’t give your children the impression that kindergarten is something they have to do and they have no say in it. Instead, cultivate a sense of adventure and excitement and gradually prepare your little ones for the valuable experiences ahead. While coaching them about kindergarten focus as much on friendships and play as on studies and intelligence. Introduce them to new topics and show them how they will learn more about their favorite activities and topics in school among friends.