Child Not as Ready for Kindergarten as You Thought?

By Dennette Bailey

By now your child has started school and all the excitement is starting to settle. You may have received a couple teacher’s notes or have had some discussions with your child about the day that are concerning to you. Maybe you are realizing that your child doesn’t seem as ready for all the aspects of kindergarten as you thought. For most, this readiness concern has less to do with academics and more to do with the day to day of kindergarten. Here are 6 things you can work on right now to make adjusting to kindergarten easier for both you and your little one.

1. When Your Child Seems Really Hungry After School:

Whether your child takes a lunch or eats the lunch provided by the school, it is important to remember that unlike at the preschool or an at home situation, there are rarely enough adults in a lunchroom to help every child open packages to eat or drink. In some cases there is absolutely no one available for this task. To ensure your child isn’t missing their lunch, utilize the weekends and evenings to make sure they know how to open the containers used in their lunch box. If they eat the lunch provided by the school , practice opening plastic packages, cartons of juices and milks, and carrying a tray with food on it. Even though your child will be provided another lunch if they drop their tray, that doesn’t mean they will have enough time to eat it. That brings us to the aspect of having time to eat. Practice having conversation while eating at the table with family. It is not realistic to ask a child not to talk to a friend at lunch because so often , besides a short outdoor recess, this is the only other time your child will have to participate in conversations they choose with their friends. You can practice by playing a game to time a lunch and see who had conversation and also completed their mea. .Keep in mind that if you have a particularly slow eater, allowing your child to bring their own lunch they will provide some added minutes to complete a meal because they won’t have to wait in a lunch line.

2. When Your Child Returns Home Disheveled-no shoes tied, zippers unzipped etc.

It is critical that you practice these skills at home. The school day is quite fast paced. The teacher will rarely have the time to button, zip and tie for 25 students. Consider also buying shoes with velcro until your child has mastered the skill to avoid tripping hazards.

3. When Your Child Can’t Write their Name

If your child is having trouble writing their name. Don’t panic. Don’t try to force them to write their whole name. Concentrate on one letter at a time. If they can perfect even the first  2 or 3 letters of their name, this will help the teacher keep track of your child’s assignments.

4. When Your child is Still Having a Difficult Time Separating from you in the Morning:

Children who have not had experience in an early childhood environment may find this especially difficult. Just like everything else, practice makes perfect. Children are getting many of their cues from the parent so be sure not to express your sadness with having to separate from your child. In addition, you might try going to the school on the weekend. Take a walk on the playground, walk around the buildings, pretend to drop off in the car or bus line. Help your child feel comfortable with the environment when there aren’t so many people around.

5. When the Book bag is Full of Papers:

As the year progresses the book bags and paper might become overwhelming. I suggest buying 2 of the same book bag. Each morning or afternoon when you are in the car rider line you can switch the book bags so you have time to go through the bag while you wait in the line. Then when the child gets in the car you can switch book bags and do the same the next day. Be sure to take out any homework -should they have any -so the work is not sitting in your car. If your child rides the bus, you can use this same method while you wait at their bus stop or choose 1 or 2 days a week to go through the book bag at another time. The key is to set up a routine to go through the book bag so neither you or your child are behind on pertinent information. Purchasing two of the same book bags keeps your child from having to remember which bag is theirs or mistakenly taking another child’s book bag.

6. When the Teacher Doesn’t Notice your Child’s Hand is Raised:

Has your child told you they had a problem but they didn’t get any help or the teacher didn’t answer them? It is probable that your child has to get used to the routines on how to ask questions in the class or maybe even your child is shy and doesn’t speak up. Practice at home asking the teacher for help. Have the child practice raising their hand, practice noticing when it is a good time to ask questions, for example, when the teacher sits in a chair. (Like teachers sit down-ha!) Demonstrate how not to interrupt when the teacher is at the front of the class doing a lesson, for example to talk about what you ate for dinner last night.

While your child has a village at school, try to remember most of all that their readiness and success in school is dependent upon your support. Your support may be dependent on having a village of your own. Get involved in the school in a way that fits your schedule. Reach out to other parents and caregivers and see how their experiences can be of help to you and vice versa, and be kind. Be kind to yourself, your child, and your child’s school. It will be a successful school year with kindness!

If you are looking for more helpful tips on your child’s kindergarten readiness check out Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten? – Triad Or check out The Kindergarten Top Ten List.

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