Readiness for Kindergarten – Tidy-Up Time at Christmas

While I don’t usually take down the Christmas tree this early, last night it fell over and decorations flew all over the room. Thank heavens that’s never happened before. My husband said it was all because it was a wild tree and was trying to escape. I didn’t feel much better but Lee giggled. However, as I was wiping up the water and sweeping up needles, I did realize there was a topic for a kindergarten readiness blog post.

Another learning lesson at Christmas is that we have to finish and turn to something new–whether we want to or not. This isn’t an easy lesson for little ones. When they are having fun, they do not want to tidy up and put their toys away, or stop playing and get ready for bed, or put their heads on the pillow and close their eyes on the day. At childcare centers, children are often given a few minutes notice that an activity will soon end and staff and kids sing songs to ease the transition. Tidy up time, tidy up time, toys away… is a favorite everywhere. Here at home, Santa was tucked in with several blankets to have a nap. He won’t go away quite yet and for awhile, little ones may still want to play Christmas.

Routines are very important for little ones and help them cope with activity changes everyday. Having routines at home also encourages readiness for kindergarten, where routines are a big part of school. The holidays have given us a vacation from ordinary routines but it’s soon time to tidy up and put the holidays away. Sigh, sometimes big people have a hard time letting go.  Would you agree?

 

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