Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten

Some childcare facilities offer government-approved kindergarten programs, making it an easy transition for children already enrolled in the centre, as they can remain in the same centre from infancy through to school-age. For some children,however, they will move to a new environment for their kindergarten years. To help them transition smoothly we recommend the following tips:

🧡 Ensure you avail of the Orientation sessions before your child commences. These are a great way to prepare your child and allow them to start building familiarity and trust with their educators and for your child to start getting used to their new environment.

🧡 Talk to your child about starting Kinder and all the exciting things they will get to do. Being positive about this new experience, helps children to also see this change as positive.

🧡 Encourage their self-help skills (eating, dressing, toileting, looking after and being responsible for their belongings).

🧡 Encourage them to cooperate with peers and build friendships in free play situations. Participate in group games and activities (learning to “take turns”).

🧡 Your child will be looking to you for your response to the new environment. Remain calm if your child is upset & don’t ignore your child’s distress – validate their feelings “it’s ok to feel sad but you’ll be ok” and reassure them you’ll be back later to pick them up.

🧡 It is very important to always say “good-bye” to your child when you drop them off to Kinder as this builds trust, even though it may be tempting to quietly slip out the door. Try and keep the “good-bye” short as long good-byes can make children more upset.

To learn more about Little Learners 3 year-old and 4 year-old Kindergarten programs, please contact us here.

Practice Their New Routine

To help prepare your child for kindergarten it will be helpful to look at your home routine and the kindergarten routine and see if there are any changes you could make at home to ensure a smooth transition. For example, if you need to get up and ready earlier than you currently do, try and do this for a few weeks beforehand to get your child used to the new timings. Likewise, you could practice a lunchbox routine at home for their snacks and lunch, so that they become familiar with the mealtime process. Incorporating crafting activities at home will be very beneficial, so that your child has experience with using pencils, scissors and glue unassisted. Playing and participating in group games and activities at home will also allow your child to begin learning to “take turns”.

To learn more about our highly-rated kindergarten programs, contact our Little Learners Kindergarten team to book a tour here.

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Choose Age-Appropriate Tasks Around the House

Need a helping hand around the house? It might seem easier or quicker if you do everything yourself. However, there’s lots of positives to giving children household responsibilities. It instills confidence in their own abilities and boosts their self-esteem. Here’s some examples of age-appropriate activities. Remember to give lots of praise to reinforce the behaviour:

2-3 year olds

Packing toys away
Putting clothes in the laundry basket

4-6 year olds

Putting clothes,shoes and bag away
Making bed
Feeding pets
Helping to set the dinner table
Helping to stack/unload the dishwasher