Preparing for the First Day of Kindergarten

Practical Tips

The first day of school brings jitters, excitement, and many changes in routine… and I’m just speaking for myself as a teacher with a decade of experience! No doubt it holds doubly true for Kindergarteners going off to school for the first time and their parents. So what can you do as a parent to help your child navigate this transition in a healthy, productive way?

Share Your Calm and Confidence

Talk to your child openly and often about school. Your child might be excited and eager, asking how many more sleeps until school, or they might feel anxious about making friends, being away from home, or knowing what to do. Most likely, they will experience some of both. Regardless, “share [your] calm, not join their chaos” (L. R. Knost). Your child will look to you for indicators of how they should think and feel about school. Be calm and confident that everything will go well; discuss the things you loved about school when you were young and the parts that are exciting for your child. Acknowledge their emotions and make plans together for the things that they are wondering about; this creates a sense of safety. They can trust that you understand the situation, care about their feelings, and are positive about the outcome and capable of supporting them through it.

There are several strategies you can use to help your child manage their big feelings about school. Share a story of your first day at school to help model communication about school. Read books together about Kindergarten like Kindergarten Rocks (Katie Davis), The Kissing Hand (Audrey Penn), and Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come (Nancy Carlson). Share as much information as you can with them about their school, like their teacher’s name and picture, school routines like recess, and some things they might do at school. Take advantage of opportunities to visit the school and the classroom and focus together on the things your child will enjoy, like the paint centre, a fun play structure for recess, or their very own cubby in the
classroom!

Creating a goodbye ritual ahead of time is another great way to plan for any separation anxiety that may occur. Long, drawn-out goodbyes can make leaving harder for both of you; a goodbye ritual set and practiced in advance can provide a sense of familiarity and therefore comfort. This could be a special hug, a little dance, a fun phrase, or a hand signal you give each other right before you leave.
 

Build Confidence and Independence

Help your child practice independence tasks now that will help them at school. This includes things like putting on and taking off school shoes, opening, packing, and closing backpacks, and eating from their lunch pail independently. It can be fun to “play school” at home and have students eat from their lunch pail for some meals. You can also take your child shopping and have them pick out food items for their lunches, special school clothes, or school supplies like a backpack. This will give your child a sense of agency and competence with those elements of the school day.

Build School Day Routines

Begin to shift routines towards a school day schedule. Figure out what time they will need to wake up on school mornings and move their bedtime routines and wake-up routines earlier by fifteen or so minutes each night until they are waking up, dressing, and eating breakfast at the same time they will need to when school starts.

Plan for Connection and Rest

Imagine your first day at a new job: you meet a bunch of people, try (and, if you’re like me, fail) to remember everyone’s name, figure out what your boss is like, what job you’re supposed to be doing when, and where all the supplies are for said job… the list goes on. Your child is learning all of those things at their new job in Kindergarten, and will rely on the consistency and familiarity of home time to reconnect with you, rest, and reenergize!

Slip a little “I love you” sticky note in their lunch pail for a taste of home in the middle of their day, and plan a special connection time for after school so that they know what they can look forward to. You could go on a walk together, read a book, or have a special snack while you chat about the day.
 

Plan for consistent, early bedtimes; your child will be learning both school lessons and life lessons. Sleep allows the brain to consolidate all of this learning and sets them up well for a great day at school the next day. As you plan your family's after-school and weekend calendar for September, be mindful of this need for extra rest.

In this transition, give your child grace, yourself grace, and the change grace. By Thanksgiving, most, if not all, of the things that feel big now will no longer seem so stressful. Your child will have friends, know their teacher(s) well, and learn and grow in new ways every day. You will be amazed at how much learning happens in a short amount of time; it is a joy for parents and teachers alike to see. Enjoy the journey!

Sarah Kuipers brings a deep sense of faith and dedication to her role as a teacher at Belleville Christian School, where she inspires students not only academically but spiritually. Her passion for integrating Christian values into her teaching helps nurture a well-rounded, faith-centered education.