A Rising Kinder Parent – One Mother’s Perspective
Last year I received a flyer in the mail about an IMPRINTS workshop called “Spring into Kindergarten.” This caught my attention as my daughter, Lilly, was in her last year at preschool enjoying every moment as the big kid on campus while I was frantically visiting Kindergarten programs (and attempting to use my analytical skills learned from the corporate world to compare schools and figure out the best fit for my daughter).
I was so focused on making the right school choice that I hadn’t even thought about what I needed to do to get Lilly and our entire family ready for the start of Kindergarten.I had also heard the horror stories from other moms who cried their eyes out the first day, or the child who was too scared to go into school, or the craziness of the hectic morning that everyone was exhausted by drop off time. I didn’t want that to be our family!
So, I signed up for IMPRINTS Spring into Kindergarten series—a decision that exceeded my expectations.
The IMPRINTS expert team coached us through each session seamlessly ensuring we were honed, skilled and ready for our Kindergarten mission! Touching on few lessons learned: working with your child to write the grocery list as a pre-writing skill builder; ideas for setting routines around varied school schedules and home life; and how to build strong relationships with your child’s teacher.
On the final week, we did a visualization exercise toward the end of our time together. We all closed our eyes and imagined taking our kids to their first day of Kindergarten. It was a simple exercise, but one that I will never forget.
Fast forward to Lilly’s first day of Kindergarten—the alarm was set, clothes laid out, backpack organized and filled, lunch made, and breakfast was ready. Lilly woke up to the alarm, got herself dressed in her new outfit, did her chores, ate breakfast, put on her backpack and we were outside of school with minutes to spare taking pictures. We even had enough time to hand the camera over for a family picture. We were all smiling and saying our goodbyes as she went into her classroom. It was a joyful and peaceful morning that I will never forget as long as I live.
It was all just like I imagined a few months before while sitting quietly at the Children’s Museum during the IMPRINTS Spring into Kindergarten series.
Lilly was ready for Kindergarten and so were we. I would encourage anyone who has a child going to Kindergarten to sign up! You will not regret taking the time to prepare yourself and your child for this important step in his or her life.
IMPRINTS Spring into Kindergarten
A Rising Kinder Parents Workshop
March 11, 18, & 25 (9:30am-11:00am)
Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem
Sponsored by Imprints
