I remember the stress I had putting my DD1 in kindergarten (I had a tougher time adjusting than she did!). Sleep routines, lunch boxes, backpacks and school buses are all new to those kindergarteners. Here are a few tips to help ease the challenges of getting your child ready for kindergarten.
Sleep Routine. Be consistent in bed times and wake up times. Not only do kids need a good night of sleep but they also need to get their bodies and minds in routine mode.
Lunch boxes. Practice "lunch" by serving dinner in lunchboxes. Not only is this kinda fun...it gives you the opportunity to see what your child can and cannot open on her own (sandwich box—YES. Juice bottle—NO).
Backpack. Forget fashion—your child needs a backpack with true function. Not too big or too small (it will hurt their backs!). Big enough to carry their lunch boxes, agenda, and extra shoes.
School bus. School buses open your child up to a whole new transportation environment. Packed with kids big and small, your child may see, hear and smell things that don't exist at home. I appreciated the fact that my (then) kindergarten kid sat in the first three rows of the school bus—close enough to the bus driver so that there was some level of supervision.
Printer-friendly version