Prepping your kindergartner for the first day

By Marian Wilde

As the lazy days of summer slip away, it will soon be time to put away the beach chairs and corner lemonade stands and prepare your kindergartner for school. Here are some tips for making the transition easier.

Adjust to the new routine

Ease into the school-year schedule. Getting into a school routine can be a challenge for everyone in the family. To make adjusting to the new routine easier, start early.

• A few weeks before school starts, move bedtime back to an earlier time.
• Put a positive spin on going to school. Talk about the fun things your child will be learning, the friends he’ll make.
• If your child is anxious about starting school, reassure her that other children have these feelings too.
• Don’t make plans for big trips right before the start of school.
• Establish school-day schedules for homework, TV, baths, and bedtime.
• Arrange play-dates with children that are going to the same school to make connections or to create new ones.

Books help ease the transition

Reading books together about the first days of school is a good way to start conversations about the excitement and fears. To get you started, here are some suggestions for your kindergartner:

• Berenstain, Stan and Jan. The Berenstain Bears Go to School. Random House, 1978
• Bridwell, Norman. Clifford’s First School Day. Scholastic, 1999
• Carlson, Nancy. Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come. Harcourt Children’s Books, 1999
• Davis, Katie. Kindergarten Rocks! Harcourt Children’s Books, 2005
• Penn, Audrey. The Kissing Hand. Child & Family Press, 1993
• Rey, H.A. and Margret. Curious George’s First Day of School. Houghton Mifflin, 2005

For more ideas: GreatSchools.org