The transition from preschool to kindergarten is one of the most times in a child’s education. In the not too distant past, kinder was merely an informal introduction to school. The focus was more on play and group interaction in order to develop the social skills and confidence of the child.
In recent times, kinder or prep as it is sometimes called, has evolved into a full blown introduction to the “big school”. Kinder now served as a sampler of the things to come in the big school and there was less play and more work. The previous role of kindergarten was now taken up by preschool and nursery.
This is why it is very important to ease this transition, not only because of the relatively serious curriculum but because research has shown that this move will have a major impact on the attitude of your child to education in future years.
With this in mind, here are a few tips to help soften the move up to kinder:
- Play down the event when speaking to your child. Avoid painting a daunting scenario, or even warning your child about the move. While it may seem counter-intuitive, building up the event may result in anxiety and apprehension. The best way would be to paint a picture of kindergarten as just the next level up from preschool. A natural progression, not unlike growing one year older.
- Presence of peers is quite desirable. If some of your child’s friends are entering the same school then make sure your child is aware of this. Research has shown that the presence of peers eases the transition for children.
- In the absence of friends in the same school, encourage interaction with preschool classmates who are moving up to kinder. This sharing among friends with some guidance from parents can ease their apprehensions.
- Watching movies or reading books about kindergarten will go a long way in putting your child’s fears to rest. Visiting several kindergarten schools while in the process of choosing can also help prepare your child. Take advantage of open houses offered by schools on your short list as they provide a wealth of information about the school and sometimes provide a reasonable simulation of actual school activities.
- Once you have chosen a school, bring your child to the school a couple of times before school starts. Linger in the school and just go around pointing out the different activity areas. Also show the clinic, canteen and comfort rooms so that your child knows where to go, no matter what he / she needs.
- Find out in advance from the kindergarten teacher what kinds of activities your child will engage in. Then relate these to your child and try to do some of these with them. Advance work is always great as long as they do not stress or pressure your child; otherwise, it would defeat the purpose of easing the transition.
- Ensure that your child is aware of how long the kindergarten class is. It would help a great deal if you can simulate a series of activities with your child that take as long as their kinder class.
- Assure your child that they will be brought to and fetched from school the way they were in preschool. Should there be any changes like taking school bus for the first time, be sure to discuss them at length and ensure that safety rules are covered. Considering though how significant the transition is, it may be best to hold off on any major changes in this area unless they are for the better. For example, bringing your child to school instead of taking the school bus.
The basic idea behind all these tips is to make sure that your child is aware of what will be happening once kindergarten starts. The absence of surprises and uncertainty will ensure an anxiety and stress free transition that will positively impact their attitudes in the years to come.
0 comments:
Post a Comment