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Starting Kindergarten |
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Kindergarten
is arguably the most important year your child will spend at school. It is a
time that will influence their attitudes to school in the years ahead. In
Kindergarten your child will learn a great many things, such as the
fundamentals of reading, writing, counting and arithmetic. But they will also
learn how to co-operate in large and small groups, how to relate to their
peers, make and keep friends, to organise themselves, to lead and to follow.
Basically, Kindergarten is about learning to “do school”. It is an exciting and
dynamic time in a child’s life. For many it is their first step out into the
wide, wonderful world. Along with the enjoyment and excitement comes a pretty
big challenge for most children. They may feel apprehension, uncertainty,
perhaps even fear. However, if they are taught the skills to cope with their
new environment, it can be a smooth, happy transition.
What does a child need to be
able to do before they start Kindergarten?
¨ Write and recognise their name in print – it makes life easier for everybody and allows your child to find and show you their work at the end of the day.
¨ Hold a pair of scissors – the children will be asked to do “cut and paste” activities right from day one, so being able to hold and use scissors will give them confidence in the classroom.
¨ Dress themselves – Your child will be embarrassed if they need help with zips and buttons every time they need to go to the toilet. A word about school shoes: new shoes can be painful. They need to be broken in before the first day. If they have shoelaces, teach your child to tie them. This can be very difficult for little fingers to manage so remember: Velcro can be your friend.
¨ Go to the toilet by themselves – it seems silly, but the school toilets look different to those at home, especially for the boys. If your son has not used a urinal before, he may be quite worried by what the other boys are doing. Try visiting public toilets a few times before coming to school.
¨ Listen to instructions – children find it much easier to do what they are supposed to be doing if they understand what it is we want from them.
¨ Participate in large and small groups – children will be required to share and take turns and to play with others. Teach your child to do these things and allow playtime with other children for them to practise.
¨ Get their lunch out of their bag and into their mouth – practise opening their lunch box and drink bottle. If the food is wrapped in plastic or foil, teach your child how to unwrap it first and eat it second. Never having had a wrapped lunch, many children have difficulty properly unwrapping their food. Children also need to know what food is for little lunch (morning tea) and what is for big lunch. Be mindful of the choking dangers with some plastic wraps and bags.
¨ Know and give their full name – many classes will have two Michelles or two Jimmys. They need to identify themselves clearly and confidently.
¨ Find and ask for help – if they don’t know what to do or need help, they only have to ask. Any teacher will help and so will other students. Your child will have a “buddy” from a year 5/6 class assigned to them and he or she will be close by for the first few weeks. If your child has an older sibling or relative in the school, let them know that they can seek help from them, too.
¨ Hold a book up the right way and turn the pages – children will be asked to begin reading and writing activities from the first day. This will be easier if they are familiar with the way books work.
¨ Run, jump, throw and catch a ball – playing outdoor games and climbing at the park will help your child pick up these valuable motor skills and can encourage imaginative play as well. Your child will be more confident if they can join in games in the playground.
Before the big day
There are some things you can do with your child before school starts to help them prepare.
¨ Make sure your child is properly enrolled and all the necessary papers are available. Kindergarten students have a staggered start, so find out what day and time your child is starting by referring to the letter you receive confirming their enrolment. If you are unsure, phone or email us.
¨ Put your child’s name on absolutely everything. No matter what it is, if it doesn’t have a name, they are almost guaranteed to lose it.
¨ Try on and buy the school uniform (perhaps a little too big as they will grow over the summer). Practise putting it on a few times in the weeks leading up to the first day. Let your child wear their school shoes a few times before the first day – they need to be broken in. Teach them to tie the laces or fasten the buckles.
¨ Children in Kindergarten need a limited number of supplies. Pack their bag with their lunch, drink, hat, painting smock and library bag (all with their name written on). Later in the term they will be given a Home Reading bag that must come to school every day. The school will provide pencils, scissors, glue and other supplies.
¨ When buying school bags and lunch boxes, take your child along and make sure they can open them easily. Some of the best-looking, most appealing lunch boxes are very difficult to get into!
¨ Go on picnics in the yard or lounge room and let your child practise unwrapping their lunch and putting the rubbish in the bin or back in their lunch box.
¨ Check the school calendar and attend the Coming To School Program in Term 4. Be prepared to leave your child in the classroom with the other children. Afterwards, talk to your child about what they saw and did. Be careful not to over do it, though. If your child is feeling anxious, talking about nothing but school will not help.
¨ Walk past the school a few times and comment about it, e.g. “There’s your school. What a nice playground! What games do you think you will play?”
¨ Practise writing their name until they can do it fluently. Practise cutting and pasting, tracing and drawing to help them learn to control the pencil.
On the big day
¨ Have everything laid out and organised the night before, such as uniform, bag etc. This will save time on a morning when you will want to think about other things.
¨ Pack a healthy, easy to eat lunch and a nutritious snack for little lunch, but don’t be surprised if some of it comes home again – sometimes the children are so busy playing, they don’t want to eat. This may continue for a while, but don’t worry – it will settle down.
¨ If you are feeling anxious or worried, don’t let your child see it. They will react to your moods.
¨ When you arrive at school, go to the office first. You will then be directed to the Kindy room. Stay with your child until they are with their teacher in the classroom, then leave. Remember: many children cry on the first day. It usually lasts only as long as it takes you to walk to the school gate. If they truly have a problem, the teacher will tell you.
¨ Plan what you will do while your child is at school. Separation can be traumatic for parents as well as for children. Organise something you will do after you drop your child at school. Remember: other parents will be in the same situation as you – try inviting them for coffee and a chat.
¨ Make sure your child knows who will collect them after school and where they will be. Make sure the person collecting them is on time. Children will worry about being abandoned after only a few minutes. If you have other children in the school, ask them to come to the kindergarten room and meet you there, so you are on time for your little one.
¨ If English is a new language for your child, tell the teacher what language they speak at home – there are many students in our school who can speak two or more languages, so chances are we can find a buddy to help them in their first days.
During the first weeks
¨ Talk to your child about what they did during the day, but don’t be surprised if they don’t say much – they will talk in their own time. Dinner is a great time for talking.
¨ Try to keep to a predictable routine as much as possible.
¨ Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep and has a good breakfast at home as they sometimes don’t eat much at school. Healthy breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It will help your child concentrate in class and maintain a positive mood.
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When packing their lunch box, consider what you
put into it. Lunch needs to be easy to handle, nutritious and palatable. It is
easy to pack too much food. When children start school, their appetites do not
usually increase. In fact, the opposite is often true. So if your child does
not eat a whole sandwich at home, don’t pack a whole one for school. Pack only
enough food for your child. Students at
¨ Don’t linger on with lengthy goodbyes at school. Establish a routine and then be consistent and assertive.
¨
Practise
reading with your child every day. Begin with predictable, known books and let
them help with some words. Have them run their finger under the words as you
say them together.
¨ If possible, arrange some time to come in and help in your child’s classroom. The most important educational model your child will ever have is you and research shows that children whose parents are involved in their school life tend to perform better than those whose parents are not involved.
If you have any questions about starting school, email us or phone on 02 9797 9753. We want your child’s first days at school to be just as special as you do.
Some interesting books to read:
Cocks,
Neralie (1996), Watch Me, I Can Do It!: Helping
children overcome clumsy and uncoordinated motor skills, Simon &
Schuster, Roseville.
Jennings, Paul (2003), The Reading Bug…and how to help your child catch it, Penguin Books, Victoria.
Berne, Sue (2003), Starting School: How to help your child be prepared, Finch Publishing, Sydney.
Faber, Adele and Mazlish, Elaine (2002), How To Talk So Kids Will Listen And Listen So Kids Will Talk, HarperCollins, New York, updated edition.
Fox, Mem (2004) Reading Magic: Why reading aloud to our children will change their lives forever, Pan Macmillian, Australia.
Kemp, Jennifer and Sloan, Lisa (2006) Your Child Can Fly – skills for school, Sloan and Kemp Consultants, Sydney.
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