I don’t know how it snuck up so fast, but my oldest is starting Kindergarten this month. I don’t know where the time went. I’m so sad to send her off to school, but also excited to see how much she learns and accomplishes. I’m excited for her to make new friends, and learn more about herself.
However I’m also in a complete panic! About what to expect and how to prepare, so I asked my fellow East Valley Moms for their tips. Asked them what I need to know before I send my sweet baby into the world of Kindergarten.
Here are some of the amazing ideas and tips they gave me about sending you kiddo off to Kinder!
Tips for Mom:
- If you know you’re going to cry, wear big sunglasses and don’t cry in front of your kid! Your kid might be nervous, scared, etc. Crying in front of them will make them even more nervous and scared. Try to hold the tears in until you have walked away.
- Once you do cry- let the ugly tears just happen! You won’t be the only one crying that day, so don’t be embarrassed or feel guilty.
- Plan an activity for yourself/ younger kids that day! It will be hard on your the younger siblings at first, you don’t want to sit around thinking about it every second!
- Intentionally plan for rest time right when they got home from school that first year. They don’t have to sleep, but just unwind, relax, reset before jumping into afternoon/evening activities as a family. This also prevented extra meltdowns.
- Don’t be afraid to communicate with the teacher. I would always say sorry to bother you and she’d always reaffirm that she wants the communication- it helps her/him know the child better. They are also TOTALLY used to Kindergarten parents needed some extra attention!
Tips for Kids:
- Have snacks ready for after school! The kids come home hungry! After a long day of learning and recess- they will be begging for an afternoon snack.
- Gently get your kids used to eating in 20 minutes or less – they’ll get caught blindsided and hungry if they’ve never had to eat quickly or tend to draw out lunch time at home. Setting timers helps!
- Practice at home how to open all the snacks you pack for them – your teacher on lunch duty will thank you!
HUGE Shout out to wonderful moms Lindsay, Kira, and Kim for answering all my questions and giving us some great tips! And thank you to Barbara, who used to teach elementry school and helped me realize that my kiddo needs to know how to open her snacks, not write her ABC’s on that first day of school.
