Wondering what your child needs to know for kindergarten? Discover the 15 practical ways to prepare for kindergarten that will help your child adjust.
In a few days, my four-year-old will head to transitional kindergarten. He’ll face new friends, new teachers, a new schedule and a new campus. The experience is a bit daunting—for both parent and kid.
15 practical ways to prepare for kindergarten
We can do plenty to prepare for kindergarten. We can change our daily habits to preparing them for what to expect and show that kindergarten can be an exciting and seamless transition. These tips apply to both those who’ve been in preschool and those who haven’t.
1. Tour the campus
When our son was entering preschool, I brought him for a meet and greet with his new teacher and classmates. Several weeks later, my husband took him for a one-day orientation. They spent time with the other kids in the class while my husband sat nearby.
With kindergarten, we don’t get to ease in as slowly. The first day of class will be the first time he’ll meet his new teachers and classmates. The most we were able to do was to take a quick tour of the campus so he’s somewhat familiar with the premises.
2. Sleep (and wake up) early
A few weeks before school starts, your child should sleep at a decent hour. I would recommend no later than 8:30pm. That should be enough time to sleep through the night and early enough to feel refreshed in the morning.
You might have to adjust depending on when you plan to leave the house. Wake your child at least an hour or an hour and a half before you leave. This should give her enough time to wake up and squeeze in some play or downtime before leaving for school.
See whether your child is sleeping too late at night.
3. Practice putting on their own clothes
Still helping your kiddo pull his legs through his pants? Help him become more self-sufficient. Kindergarteners are more independent than preschoolers. They need to learn how to put most of their own clothing on.
Show your child where the tag is on each pair of pants or shorts and explain that that goes in the back. Show her how to pull her shirt down over her head, and how to slip her arms through sweaters and jackets.
Read more about how to raise a self-sufficient child.
4. Start your mornings with good breakfasts
My kids’ weekday go-to breakfast is oatmeal: Simple, quick, inexpensive. We add milk, sugar and sometimes raisins to taste it up. Then we pair it with a fruit.
Point is: Each morning should start with a healthy breakfast. They’ll feel less sluggish during the day and will be able to better stave off hunger.
5. Discuss lunch and snack logistics
What are the school’s lunch time options? Do they provide meals in the cafeteria? Will your child be bringing her own lunch and snacks?
We plan to send our son off with his own lunch and snacks, even if the cafeteria is serving food, at least for now.
6. Discuss after school logistics
Discuss what will happen after school. Who will pick him up, what time, where? Will he be going to an after school program? Where is that located?
7. Read every day
I can’t say enough about the benefits of reading. Read together, and say words to your child. Have her sound out the words. And get her excited about story time and learning. Borrow books from the library so she can cycle through stories every week (we do four new books every week).
And read books specifically about kindergarten. The stories will help her get excited for school and ease any trepidation.
Get my list of children’s books about kindergarten.
8. Practice using safe scissors
If your child hasn’t been practicing cutting paper, now is the time to start trying. Buy safe scissors, along with sturdy cardstock. He can cut straight lines, paper, and other odd shapes. Again, make it fun—glue the pieces he cuts onto another piece of paper or poster.
9. Practice the alphabet and numbers
Sing or play the ABC song. Your child should know the order of the alphabet. Count up to the number 12 (that’s the number my son’s school suggested to us parents as a starting point).
10. Give responsibilities and chores
Kindergarten teachers will assign simple tasks to the students. They may wipe the board or put toys and mats away. Start your child on general chores around the house. She can clean toys and put dirty clothes in the hamper.
If your child seems keen or able to do any task, assign it to him. The tasks will take longer (15 minutes to wipe down the table?!). But you’re helping to build self-sufficiency skills and community-minded mentality in your child.
Struggling with getting your kids to do their chores? Want to develop good habits from the start? Get my FREE printable chore lists to help you and your kids organize chores. Download it below:
11. Remind your child to be kind
Your child will meet many new faces. Some nice, others not. Some might show familiar and common traits, while others will feel like a culture shock.
Regardless, remind your child to be kind. Explain that it’s fine to disagree, to feel hurt, and even to feel frustrated, but we can’t be mean. Teach her coping methods like telling someone ‘Stop’ or even walking away.
And as always, teach empathy: Mention other people’s emotions and how it relates to hers. Remind her to put herself in other people’s shoes and wonder what they must feel like. And say how her actions can affect others around her.
Read more about how to raise a kind child.
12. Encourage social skills
Turn-taking, listening, following the rules. These are all important social skills in kindergarten and beyond.
If he has siblings, cousins or play mates, guide him through proper social conducts. Don’t force kids to share, but encourage turn-taking and playing together as an alternative. Enforce good listening, so that if someone is talking, he has to wait his turn before speaking. And acknowledge him when he follows rules and instructions.
13. Arrive on time
This should be a rule for every day, but at least on the first few days of kindergarten, arrive on time. If you’re like me, even you may be unfamiliar with your child’s new kindergarten campus. Give yourself plenty of time to find parking, find and meet his teachers, and get him settled into class.
14. Leave cheerfully
But when you leave, do so on time, and without drama. Your child needs to know he’s in safe hands, not in an environment where you’re bawling your eyes out. In leaving swiftly but cheerfully, you reassure him all is fine and you’re happy he’s here in class.
15. Embrace this exciting new change in your child’s life
Your child will take his cues from you. When you worry, he’ll worry. But when he sees you excited for him, then he’ll enter kindergarten with a positive mentality.
It’ll be scary, no doubt. He’ll have no idea where the bathrooms are, or when lunch time will be. He won’t know if the teacher is kind or if the other students will play with him.
But with your support, he’ll come better prepared to enter this new and exciting change. There may be some tough days (“I don’t want to go to school anymore”). But your child will remember kindergarten and thrive in its environment.
Conclusion
So, I’m already sad. As of this writing, this will be the last week my son will attend preschool. No more walking to or from school (his new one isn’t as near). Goodbye to his teachers, and the easy parking, and their weekly school work sent home.
The little things that make up the preschool experience for both him and his parents. Because isn’t this yet another passage of time? Something else you can’t retrieve and go back to?
I don’t show any of this to my son, though. To him, we are plugging on, excited for his new changes. No matter how mind boggling seeing this almost five-year-old standing there. (Wasn’t he just three a second ago?)
Yep—he’s getting ready for kindergarten.
Get more tips about getting ready for school:
- What Every Kindergartener Should Know by the End of the Year
- 12 Children’s Books about Kindergarten
- Top 52 Children’s Books to Read in 2016
- How to Deal when Your Child Cries at Drop Off
- More than Just PB&J: Vary Your Child’s Meals with These School Lunch Ideas
Tell me in the comments: What tips have helped you prepare for kindergarten? What were the biggest challenges (for instance, making new friends, adapting to a new curriculum)?
Excellent tips as always! My son is only in Pre-K this year, but it’s a school-district preschool so it feels like Kindergarten in a lot of ways. (They even walk across the street to the elementary school for lunch in the cafeteria!) Most schools in my area do an orientation night where kids can see their room and meet their teachers. We did that for Pre-K and I think it really helped my son feel comfortable on his first day of school.
That’s a great idea! My son had a “meet and greet” ice cream social where the principal, teachers and after school care workers were available to meet the parents and new students. I think it totally helps to get them acquainted beforehand, for sure!
Great tips! I have found making sure they know their way around the school and what to expect at all times to be most helpful to my kindergartners. Also knowing what to do if they need help – who to go to for help, and how to ask for help.
Oh yeah, great reminder. I gotta tell my son that bit about ensuring him that he can ask his teachers if he needs help with anything.
Oh girl..good luck! It’s fantastic the way you’re plugging on and acting like “no big deal, it’s exciting!” Inside I would be a mess! I love the “be kind” reminder. I’m so excited/nervous for you!
Haha, thanks Rebecca! I’ll let you know how it goes. 🙂
It seems like SO long ago that I did this with my kids … but I know that they were all much more ready than I gave them credit for. The part about empathy? Huge. I think this quality puts them closer to kids who also are empathetic. And that kind of think is contagious.
After my girls began school, they each started to miss me after I left from volunteering. One girl cried in my shirt, and didn’t want her friends to see. I gave her a little turtle trinket to keep with her for when she missed me. She’s starting eighth grade now, and still has it! It was our little reminder that even if I wasn’t there, I was thinking of her.
Eli! That is so sweet. What a great idea to have a trinket or something of us to remind them that we’ll be there even when we’re apart.
Good luck as you transition your big kiddo to Kindergarten! Hope it goes very smoothly (especially for you!).
Thanks Steph! First day went well. He was very excited and came home talking about the school, the kids, and he was reenacting a lot of the “rules” and things the teachers must have said 🙂
I got a lump in my throat just reading this. My son’s one year away from kindergarten and I already feel like I’m not ready! I think these are great tips to get your kid familiar with the school and great if they can see their classroom and meet their teachers. We actually frequently visit our future elementary school because on weekends, we walk and play on their playground :).
So, will you walk him to his classroom or drop him off at the door? Oh my gosh, I cannot bear it! Our kids growing up and being independent. SNIFF!
My husband drops him off in the morning, and yeah he drops him off in the classroom. When I pick up, I do the same: I pick him up from the actual classroom. But I see other kids waiting around in the front like big kids and I can’t imagine my son doing that any time soon without getting teary-eyed myself!