With summer coming to an end, parents must now turn their attention from fun outdoor activities to preparing their children for school. If this is their child�s first preschool or kindergarten experience, parents especially want to make this transition as fun and painless as possible.
First 5 LA, a child advocacy and grant-making organization, wants to help children and parents adapt to change and new experiences so that the transition to school will be an exciting opportunity for the family. �Parents and early childhood professionals share a role in making children feel safe and secure as they move to new educational settings,� said Evelyn V. Martinez, executive director of First 5 LA.
�Of course, such milestones in a child�s life can also cause anxiety, so strengthening the ties between early education programs and families will help create smoother transitions for adults and children,� Martinez added.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to assure your child that preschool and learning is interesting and fun, and Martinez urges parents to make a special effort to communicate with their youngsters about their new experience by asking them questions about their activities and their feelings while they were at school.
�Ask children the kinds of questions that will extend interaction rather than cut it off,� explained Martinez. �Questions that require a yes or no or a �right� answer lead a conversation to a dead end. Instead, try questions that require them to describe, explain or share ideas.�
Whether a child is about to go to kindergarten or daycare, or is already enrolled in preschool, First 5 LA offers transition tips for the first day so that both parents and children are comfortable and prepared.
� Get excited � Tell her what her day will be like: kids paint, play outside, sing and have story time.
� Test run � Visit the school with your child on a day when students are there and introduce her to the teacher.
� Start new routines � Put him to bed at an earlier bedtime and lay out his clothes the night before.
� Create a leaving routine� Say goodbye and give him a hug � even if he gets upset. Slipping away can make him feel confused.
� Expect backsliding � Crying, potty accidents, and nighttime wake-up calls are normal and usually last for only a few weeks.
� Kindergarten-readiness skills – Have your child name six parts of his/her body, learn shapes and colors, practice counting objects up to 10 and have your child fill in the blank: My name is ______________ and I am _____ years old.
For more on how to prepare your child for school, visit www.ReadySetGrowLA.org. For other resources available call 1-888-FIRST5-LA, a free information and referral resource for all families with young children in Los Angeles County. Operators are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help in 140 languages.
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