Kiddipedia
Creating a Smooth Transition for your Child
If you have a preschool child, they might already be parading around your home with their new school uniform on. The hype of being a ‘big school kid’ is heightened time, often created by well-meaning family and friends. It’s an exciting time. Teachers witness tears on the first day from both students and parents who find it an emotional, albeit happy time- some are tears of joy others are tears of separation anxiety.
Some kids move easily from kindergarten to the foundation year at school and some kids find it overwhelming. Fortunately, the latter is not the norm due to the fact that school readiness is fostered during preschool and day care routines. In Australia, the beginning of the school year is in Summer. We can all feel overheated and tired and this doesn’t make for a positive time for little ones in their first months of school.
To support kids to make a smooth transition to school life, here are a few ideas which may suit the needs of families:
School Readiness
This is an area where many factors come into play. School readiness can be best measured by taking the professional advice of your child’s preschool teacher. Kids are sometimes sent off to school too early and they then may struggle to settle down into the routine. This creates stress for them, your family and others. Age can sometimes be a factor but not always. Being able to sit still and listen to a story for longer than a few minutes, recognise their own name, leave their parents for extended periods of time, go to the toilet by themselves, follow routines and be happy to do so or play well, sharing with peers are all behaviours to consider when deciding school readiness. There are no definite measures of guidelines as each child’s situation varies. This is why their teachers and carers are the best people to ask, should you feel unsure about your child’s school readiness.
Lunchbox routines
Does your child eat from a lunchbox at preschool, or do they have catered meals at daycare? If this is the first year when your child will need to be independent when feeding themselves at lunch and snack times, it’s a good idea to pack their lunchbox with them, explaining when they should eat the contents. Try to pack lunchbox contents (that are easy to unwrap and eat) with your child so that they know what’s on the menu. Some schools have a ‘Nude Food’ program which eliminates litter and unnecessary plastic waste. Teachers will guide students if they see that they are unsure when retrieving food from their bags but it will help to have a daily conversation with your child like the following:
‘You can eat the cheese, fruit and crackers earlier, at the small play-time the morning and after more school, you should eat your salad roll before your big play-time. Your drink bottle is in your bag, see?’
Playdates with friends
Being able to spend time away from you for extended periods of time is an important practice in preparing them for a longer day at school. During their preschool years, it’s a good idea to arrange mutual playdates with another friend to enable the development of independence and confidence. If your child has anxiety about you leaving them with another family for a play date, stay for a cuppa to enable your child to familiarise themselves with others. It’s important that your child feels safe and has fun away from home. Letting go of carers can take time.
Bedtime routines
To cope with the new school routine ensure that your child has a sleep routine which enables them to get enough sleep. Hopefully, they are already enjoying a secure routine which started when they were tiny tots. Avoid devices later at bedtime and ask them to choose a bedtime story after a calming bath. Snuggle down with a story and talk quietly together. Your family will be more able to embrace a new school/working day if everyone has had enough sleep.
Separation anxiety
Some kids can be seen skipping happily into school but later, they may experience separation anxiety for a variety of reasons. This is a real problem for some kids and it’s stressful for everyone involved. Teachers are used to seeing few kids in tears as parents leave them at school. It’s another thing when this separation upsets happen regularly and for extended periods of time.
Curiously, some children can be quite happy during the first few weeks at the start of the year but the novelty of coming and staying at school can wear off. You know your child best but this is a time to work with your child’s teacher and trust what they suggest. It may mean that you will be asked to leave your child (who’s often crying with arms held out for you) with their supportive teacher. As heart wrenching as this scenario is, rest assured, the crying often stops within minutes as parents are out of sight. The aim is to set expectations and to work towards independent school stamina. If this problem continues for much longer than the school considers unusual, your family will be able to seek support from trained professionals, who are connected to the school.
Special needs
If your child has special learning needs, or lives in a situation that requires individual consideration or allowances, it’s important that you work with the school’s welfare coordinator and your child’s teacher to best support them. Physical, cognitive and social-emotional and other needs should be addressed early, to provide the best learning environment for your child.
Information Evenings
Schools offer information evenings to parents of each year level, to communicate important dates, policies, shared expectations and to answer FAQS. These nights are especially important if your child is new to the school. It shouldn’t be the first time you meet the teacher because the kinder-school orientation days will have occurred later in the previous year. If your child is newly arrived, make an appointment to meet their teacher/s. They will be more than happy to meet you, to ask you about your child’s needs and to answer your questions. Communication is key to ensuring smooth transitions into school life.
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