Helping your children when they begin school for the first time

 

A child’s entering preschool or kindergarten can be a source of excitement for kids and parents,but it can also be a source of stress or fear.

Today’s kindergartens, and pre-schools for that matter, have changed. There are distinctive differences in race, religion, family lives and level of education. Some children don’t have the ability to recognize letters of the alphabet while others can read and understand words and even sentences.

It’s important to do everything you can to help prepare your child for the educational, emotional, psychological and social interactions they are going to experience.

It’s difficult to prepare your child for everything that can happen as they begin their educational career but there are some basic areas you can cover that will give them the highest potential for success.

·      Take the time to get to know the local schools and choose the class your child will attend carefully.

·      Get the school’s enrollment and curriculum documents as well as the CV’s of the teachers.

·      Attend all open houses and any school tours that are available.

·      Spend time with your child doing learning activities long before their first day of school begins.

·      Encourage your child to get excited about reading and education as well as making sure they know you will be there to support them.

·      Challenge your child as you work with them and demonstrate how to handle situations where they may feel overwhelmed.

·      Talk with your child’s new teacher and discuss the teacher’s goals for the children in his/her class.

·      Ask the teacher if there are specific days that parents are invited to participate in class and how else you can help. 

·      Find and use technology, books and other available tools to show your child how exciting and fun learning and making new friends can be.

I hope this helps as you move closer and closer to your child’s first day in class and that FishyTale’s customizable reading experiences help to prepare your children for a lifetime of reading and continuous learning.