Last year, my oldest daughter started transitional kindergarten, a program for children turning 5 in the months of September- January. It has been a great experience for us and we’ve learned a lot. Registration for kindergarten in our neighborhood school just opened a few weeks ago, and I thought I could share a few practical tips for new kindergarten parents I’ve learned this year.

Getting ready for the BIG day:

1) Get your camera ready: I thought of a few pictures I really wanted to get of my kids to remember the big first day (one on the front stoop & one at the garden entrance). I also printed out a few free chalk-style signs for her to hold.

2) Think about a special breakfast: My daughter was excited but also nervous, so we wanted to have a celebratory day that she could enjoy starting with some yummy pancakes & strawberries. I followed up with some yogurt for protein too.

3) Car seat surprises: Every once in awhile if I know my daughter has had a busy week, I’ll get her a little surprise like new library books or a small toy and leave it in her car seat for pick up. She thinks things like this are so exciting! This helped keep the momentum the first week of school.

4) Create a space: Kids need a space to collect all of their school stuff. I created a bench with shoe storage underneath and backpack/sweater hooks on the wall nearby. It helps to collect all of the school items in one spot and to label backpack, water bottle, lunch bag and sweaters because it is a lot for a five year old to keep track of each day.

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Day to Day tips:

5) Operational clothes and shoes: In my daughter’s class, the teacher told us on day one that she refused to tie shoes. The kids also go to the restroom with a peer escort so they need to be able to button/zip/latch their clothes on their own. For us, this meant getting a few pairs of shoes that were slip-on style or pre-laced athletic shoes. We also practiced pants with zippers and buttons to make sure she could make it through the day.

6) Sleep & snacks: Funny thing about kindergarteners is that they think they are way too old for the nap phase but their little bodies and minds make it quite obvious that they are exhausted after school. My daughter’s schedule only runs from 9am-1pm, but boy is she tired and grumpy after she has been “on” all day. She refuses to nap at her age but I try to have a snack ready for her and a quiet activity like drawing or a little educational computer time.

7) Lots of pep talks: Public kindergarten is a testing ground for all sorts of new experiences. For us we’ve experienced a lot of new routines and emotional situations. There have been many days this school year that my daughter has needed pep talks and to talk about social situations…. “Why does this girl want to play that and not this?” “So and so said this and we don’t say that at our house?” “They laughed at me because of this” etc. Many times I’ve noticed her perception is just a little underdeveloped and she calms after she understands circumstances of her day.

8) Lunch items they can open: Many drinks and prepackaged foods are tough to open for little kids and with 20+ kids at lunch time, it’s almost impossible for the aides to get to each child and help them open many items. I learned to cut open prepackaged foods or start it for my daughter. Also there are so many great lunch containers and bento boxes that are easy for kids to open. We have been practicing opening items and helping our daughter learn the tougher ones on the days off school.

Tips for moms:

9) Timers help: Kindergarten drop offs and pick ups are tricky with traffic and school schedules. Something that has helped me a lot this year is setting phone timers to remind me that I’ve got to head out the door in 15 minutes.

10) Read ALL their papers: My daughter’s school uses a folder system to transport all paperwork to and from school. There is a lot of information, fundraisers, schedules and teacher correspondence that comes home. I make it a habit to check the papers that come home and then put the empty folder right back in the backpack after school so I don’t forget it the next morning.

11) Think of the younger siblings: In all the shuffle of my oldest starting school, my younger daughter felt very sad the first week when we would leave her sister at school. She really and truly didn’t understand why we were leaving her somewhere. I began by telling her the plans for that day, slowly keeping a steady schedule, and enrolling her in some toddler classes. She began to calm down and understand her sister was coming back after school. Other things that helped the younger sibling were the natural relationships that she began to develop from before/after school drop offs with the older kids in my daughter’s class and pushing her nap back. I began to push her nap back slowly the summer before school started so she would be able to stay awake long enough to make it home from pickup. Slowly, I was able to move her 11:30am nap back to 1:30pm. We still have days that she falls asleep in the car, but overall she’s handled the transition very well.

12) Don’t worry too much but do keep in contact: The school has likely been exposed to many different types of students/learners and I find that our school has been incredibly nurturing to my daughter this year. They are well-organized and age-appropriate and notice what her needs are. There are likely lots of caring staff there for your new kindergartener to lean on. I do try to stay in contact with the teachers and aides just to be aware of what’s going on, and try to volunteer when I can. Also, just try noticing your child’s demeanor before and after school and where there might be stress or happiness in their day.

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I hope this practical set of tips helps you if you are headed for kindergarten this year! Let me know if anyone has tips to add or specific questions about the transition!