preparing for preschool

Q. Knock, knock. A. Who’s there?
Emma. Emma who?
Emma goin’ to school tomorrow.
Tomorrow, school does indeed start and now your help is important for kindergarten support not kindergarten readiness.

Tip #10 for starting kindergarten or playschool is to help your child get a good night’s sleep. There are so many new challenges for your child that a good night’s sleep is really needed. Often, the first few weeks kids need extra sleep because of all the stimulation. Dr. Marc Weissbluth, in his book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, compares sleep to weight lifting. Just as lifting weights builds stronger muscles, sleeping well builds brainpower.

Aiding your child to get a good night’s sleep is certainly not an academic issue, but sleep concerns can definitely affect learning and coping. Starting kindergarten and preschool is so exciting. Enjoy the holiday and tonight tuck your little one in with a story and a snuggle before the big day tomorrow. And maybe a sigh in your heart as you close the door and turn out the light?

As an adult would you pack your suitcase for a trip just before you leave the house? For kids starting preschool or kindergarten, backpacks are a suitcase and the trip is going to school. What does a backpack need?

• A backpack needs a name label somewhere inside. Some families are concerned about the safety of having too much information but even first names or initials help, especially for wandering backpacks.

• A very small “touchy-feely” like a stuffie or other object can help to reassure kids.

• A snack or lunch container that is very washable is important. Some backpacks like to fly around through the air or disguise themselves as pillows which seems to result in yogurt or applesauce exploding. Going thru the car wash may sound drastic but it’s practically the only way to get some of them clean.

• Extra clothes can be rolled and squished into a ziplock bag for emergency use. (Many programs also ask for an extra pair of shoes to stay at school and a paint shirt.)

• Find a place for the backpack to live when your child gets home. It’s amazing how some of them like to hide under beds, behind the toybox, in the car, etc. Having the same place for the backpack will make it easier to keep track of it.

Backpacks will get daily use. They are a main carrier of information from school to home, bringing library books, art work, craft projects and notices. Murphy’s Law for backpacks states that the more important a notice, the greater the chance that the paper will vanish on the way home. Just like pirates store their treasures in chests, kids store their treasures in backpacks. Did you know that kindergarten readiness includes helping both kids get ready and their backpacks?

As you help prepare your child for starting preschool or kindergarten another tip is to tuck a “touchy-feely” into your child’s backpack. A touch-feely can be practically anything that somehow reassures your child; it works like a security blanket but has a different shape. A scarf from mom or a wash cloth sprayed with mom’s perfume … Continue reading 10 Tips for Starting Kindergarten: #8 A Touchy-Feely →