There were tears…mostly tears of joy.
and giggles…lots of giggles.
Hugs and kisses
excitement and apprehension.
A new routine…a new environment…
The gentle familiarity of a few old friends
and the start of lifelong friendships.
Opportunity and a fresh start.
We survived our very first week of kindergarten, and in all honesty, it went so much better than I could have ever imagined. My son has adapted well to the series of changes he’s had to face head on over the past week, and I could not be more proud of my little boy who is growing up so quickly. But I didn’t always know whether we’d be here…walking our little boy to his very first day of elementary school this year…September 2012.
Somewhere around the age of 4, my “perfect” little boy began displaying some not-so-perfect behavior. We were confused…we were sad…we were challenged…we were determined.
When someone suggests that my child may not be ready for something (anything!), I may initially get discouraged, but my gut reaction is determination…to get informed and to do everything I can possibly do to help him succeed. And that is exactly what I did when 6 or so months ago, we were “advised” to consider keeping our son in preschool another year.
The transition from preschool to kindergarten is a major one. My son went from a day of play interspersed with learning, to a day of learning interspersed with play. He’s been removed from everything that is familiar including people, places, and things. He has to wake up earlier every. single. day. which means an earlier bedtime every. single. day. We walk to school and walk home. And he has homework! I appreciate the emotional, academic, and physical impact of such a transition. And had we honestly felt like my son was just not ready, we would not have hesitated to allow him to mature for one more year.
But before I made my final decision, I decided to do a few things. Along with changing some things at home, I enrolled my son in two classes offered at his preschool: Phonics and Cooking. It’s amazing what a difference those two classes made in my son’s behavior, maturity, and academic growth. Not only did he get an edge on preparing for Kindergarten, he also engaged in an activity I know he’s enjoyed for a long time (we have always cooked and baked together at home).
I did a lot of reading before making the decision to go ahead with the venture down Kindergarten lane. Lori Walker, a writer for The Patch wrote a great article highlighting those things a child should be able to do before entering Kindergarten, so I thought I’d share some highlights:
ABCs and 123s: While a child doesn’t have to know every letter and number, it is helpful for him/her to recognize most of them, including letter sounds, colors, and shapes.
Back to the basics: Tying shoes, feeding oneself, and the ability to use the “potty” without assistance are musts before entering school, where the focus is on helping children achieve academic success.
Get the wiggles out: While a Kindergarten teacher understands that developmentally, a five year old may not sit still for long periods of time, it’s important that they begin doing this in short spurts prior to the start of school. Story time at the library is a great way to get children ready for listening and focusing.
Separation anxiety: Children entering Kindergarten should be able to walk into class without having an emotional meltdown. Similarly, parents need to keep their emotions in check to provide reassurance to their children, particularly during the early days when everything is new.
Overall, we’re content with our decision and ready for a brand new week filled with learning and opportunity.
If you have a school-aged child, how did you know when he/she was ready?
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I love that second picture! I’m glad the first day went so well! When my son started kindergarten, he cried and ran away from the bus. It took ten minutes to get him on it!
Aww love the pictures! He looks like he is ready to go!!
You really did a great job in finding things that would help ready him when you weren’t sure. I’m glad that it paid off and worked!
Such a great mom taking a very active role in their learning experience!
For me, I’ve been very lucky with my boys. My oldest was advanced and he was ready for kindergarten a year before he was allowed to go. So we had him in an educational preschool. .He’s thrived ever since. My 2nd son has been right one time. He enjoyed his preschool and transitioned well into his kindergarten.
My daughter however is nothing like her brothers. She has speech delays and I’m quite scared she won’t be ready for kindergarten when the time comes. She’s 3 years old and only says 30 words. We’ve been doing speech therapy, and other tricks but she’s still just taking her sweet time. We’ve enrolled her in a speech therapy preschool that is designed to give her interaction with other children (who also have delays) so she can experience social interaction and not get shunned or bullied for her delay. And she will be working with a speech therapist one on one. I”m hoping this can help her break past the barrier and caught up before it is time for her to enter kindergarten. I don’t want her to struggle. It’s such a hard decision knowing when they are ready or need extra help.
My kid missed the kindergarten deadline by two days! now he’ll be the oldest in his class, and probably the tallest LOL I don’t know if he’ll be ready, but I can only hope. he also doesn’t go to pre-school so it’s going to be a big transition for him.
Such a milestone…wait until he goes to college! 🙂
So glad to hear the first day went well! Those are some great tips. I know most kindergarteners have a tough time sitting still as well so I like the tip about preparing them for it beforehand. Very helpful!
Pre-school was very hard for my oldest child, so we were very concerned about Kindergarten. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but she just flourished that first year in kindergarten and continues to do so every year. She’s in 5th grade this year so next year is the huge leap to middle school. And I’m nervous all over again.
Right there with ya girl. My kids start Kindergarten last week too. I was so nervous! It is such a big step but so far so good. This week will be the first real test since it is the first full week…
one more yr till my baby goes!
I have my son in a special program ….. early start…. he just turned 3…. I didn’t hesitate to enroll him and make sure he is getting the attention he needs. He has been diagnosed as provisional autism…. which means they are not sure if he has autism or not. He will have to be re-evaluated in a year…. it’s too borderline to tell. He had speech delay, so of course my red flags went up. I am the one who had a hard time putting him in at 2 years and 4months, but knew I was doing the best for my only son. He on the other hand… adjusted right off the bat and loved having the time to be with other kids his age. 6 months ago… he had no words…. he can now identify every letter in the alphabet and the sound they make. Count to 13, and write his name….. he just turned 3. We are so proud. 🙂
when mine started there was pre kindergarten at his school way back when. You went through two of those pre-k’s which got them ready for real kindergarten. It helped a lot!
We experienced something similar for pre-school. Lots of tears at first, but he’s really enjoying it. I’m glad to see that your first week went better than planned 🙂 They grow up so quick don’t they?
This is such a hard decision to make. We actually ended up keeping our son back one year since he has a September birthday. And we made the right decision FOR HIM. I think it varies from child to child but you made sure that you felt like your child was prepared and ready so I’m sure he was. Just stick by your decision and expect a few bumps along the way (because there always are no matter when you start them). Good luck!
LOL, he’s so adorable, just like his mom!
Tying shoes? Oh, boy…I/we failed that one! My tot started Kindergarten a few weeks ago and we haven’t tackled that one yet.
Your such an awesome mom! He looks like he is ready 🙂
Kas
Congratulations on your son starting Kindergarten! I think as parents we have more of a separation issue than our kids. I know I did. I was hiding in some bushes somewhere.