Get Ready! Get Set! Go... to School!

Anticipating your child’s first day at school this September? Whether you’re a parent who experiences mini panic attacks when you imagine your child in this new environment, or whether you’re looking forward to a few hours of parental freedom, there are ways to help your child prepare.

Most kindergarten teachers agree that three basic skills smooth a child’s transition to school -- the child’s ability to listen and communicate his or her own needs, self-help skills, and the ability to get along with others.

Play-based learning, the foundation for full-day learning programs in schools, enhances children’s opportunities to explore unique interests and to satisfy individual curiosity. Yet within this learning framework there are many group activities, stories, discussions and outings. Children who are able listen respectfully and attentively when someone else is speaking and who are able to express their own needs clearly and confidently to an adult are better prepared to engage well in the classroom. Parents who set aside time at home every day to read, listen to and talk with their child help their child develop these skills. Though it’s never too late to create new patterns, parents who share a daily reading routine with their child from birth onwards, give their child a distinct advantage when entering school.

Parents can help support the growth of their children’s self-help skills by frequently showing children how to open and shut lunch containers independently, and how to use Velcro, zippers, buttons and laces. “Red Lace Yellow Lace” by Mark Casey and Judith Herbst is a great little book for helping children learn to tie their shoes. This sturdy book includes a practice shoe with red and yellow laces. Its short rhyme helps children remember the steps in tying shoes.

Many children learn the “ABC” song at a very early age. Though writing the alphabet, understanding numbers, knowing colours and shapes are not prerequisites to Junior Kindergarten, children’s independence is enhanced if they can recognize their printed name. Classroom storage space for a child’s belongings will be identified with the child’s name. Help your child recognize his name by printing it often on artwork at home. Create a placemat for your child on construction paper. Print her first name in big letters on the paper. Add your child’s photo as well, if you wish. Cover the construction paper with a clear protective surface. Use the placemat at mealtime, and at playtime as a guide for your child to trace over the letters with an index finger, or to create play dough letters that match the print on the placemat.

Learning how to get along with others is a lifelong process. Sharing, taking turns and developing friendships are acquired skills. “Hands Are Not for Hitting” by Martine Agassi, available in board book and paperback version, may help you talk with your child about positive ways to deal with negative feelings.

For children (and parents) who struggle with separation, “The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn can help family members cope with the anxiety they experience when children begin school for the first time.

Make your mark. Get your child ready, get your child set, and then let your child go to school with excitement and confidence this fall. 

Susan Ramsay is the Early Literacy Specialist for Hastings, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington. You can contact her at 613-354-6318 (ext 32)