Prepping Your Kid for Kindergarten

My 3rd kid starts kindergarten this fall! I've been through this big transition 2 times before at 2 different schools - here's what I've learned helps kids have a smooth start to this unique year😊

Summer is here! We’re having a busy summer so far - we started travel right away with a trip back east to visit family and drop off my daughter C(9) at sleepaway camp (click here for a camp packing list filled with the fun items not on official packing lists). The trip was a whirlwind of long flights, road trips, memories made with extended family, fun experiences, and lots of classic sibling shenanigans😉 And while we’ve just started to get into our summer, I also know that we’re starting the countdown to my youngest’s first day of kindergarten…

My son A(5) will be starting kindergarten on August 14th! I have 2 older kids, N(11) and C(9), which means this is my third time having a kid start kindergarten. And, because of a move, those 2 older kids started kindergarten at different schools (one public and one private) which means that as I think about how to get A(5) ready to start this fall, I have a lot of personal experience from which to draw!

So, since I’m your Type A Mom friend who’s here to simplify the work of parenting, I’ve compiled a kindergarten prep list to help you focus on what skills are most important for your kid to learn this summer!

On our recent trip I took this picture of A(5) standing outside the Countdown to Kindergarten exhibit at The Boston Children’s Museum - very appropriate for him!

🏫KINDERGARTEN PREP LIST FOR KIDS🏫

HOME ROUTINE

The before school and after-school routines and timing are much different for a kindergartener than a preschooler! First, kindergarten usually starts earlier than preschool. Second, in preschool it is typically okay if kids are late to school - but in kindergarten it is usually not okay to be late and kids may get a tardy slip and miss important announcements and activities! And third, the after-school plan at home is different in kindergarten because kids may have to do homework. Since the kindergarten timing and routines will be new, they will affect your home routine. Explaining them to kids before school begins will help them adjust more easily.

• Walk through the steps and timing of the morning - wakeup, breakfast, getting dressed, teeth brushed, leave house, drop off at school

• Explain how they will get to school - parent drives, carpool, bus - and explain any details they need to know

• Explain they have to be on time or they’ll get a tardy slip

• Explain if there is a uniform or dress code, and what it is

• Two weeks before the first day of school consider adjusting their bedtime to earlier so they can wake up for the early school day well rested with enough time to get them out the door - it always takes longer in the mornings than you think!

• Create a system for the afternoons - where they put their backpacks, where they put their lunchboxes to be cleaned out, and where they put their homework folder, and explain it to them

• Show them an area in the house where they can do homework and where you can assist them with the work - at this age homework is typically done with a parent’s guidance (especially in the first half of the year)

CLASSROOM/BACKPACK/LUNCH SKILLS

There are some organizational skills that both my older kids needed to know how to do when they were in kindergarten. I didn’t explicitly show them how to do these tasks, and since at this age teachers don’t typically help them with these tasks, I wish I had worked on them before kindergarten so it would be easier to hit the ground running!

These are the skills I found most helpful to know how to do:

Backpack/Lunchbox Skills

• Unzip their backpack and unload their lunch box, water bottle, homework folder

• Open and close a lunchbox

• Put a lunchbox into a lunch carrier

• Put a lunch carrier into a backpack

• Open and close a water bottle

• Put a water bottle into a backpack

• Put paper into a folder

• Put a folder into a backpack

• Zip up a full backpack

Bathroom Skills

• Wash hands - both sides of their hands (they often skip the top!)

• Wipe after using the bathroom

Clothing Skills

• Zip and unzip a sweatshirt to put it on and take it off

• Put shoes on and take them off easily (maybe try these Nike slip on shoes at the start so they don’t have to deal with laces or Velcro right away!)

• Can find the extra clothes packed in the bottom of their backpack (most schools require these in case of spills or potty accidents)

Self-Advocating Skills

• Ask a teacher for help (explain they’re there to help with anything, not just ABCs)

• Understand how to order lunch in the cafeteria (if they’re getting that kind of lunch)

• Identify when a food may have an allergen (my daughter C(9) is allergic to eggs so I taught her about avoiding white sauce - mayonnaise, ranch dressing - since many people forget to check that for eggs, and to ask about cake frosting during birthday celebrations)

• Know their parents’ first and last names (in case of emergency)

• Know a parent’s phone number (in case of emergency)

• Play Bingo (this is random but they often play bingo at class parties so it’s good to teach kids how to play!)

These skills seem simple to us, but these steps are hard for little fingers to do so it takes practice! Left picture: first, put the lunchbox into the lunch carrier, then put the lunch carrier into the backpack, and then put the water bottle into the backpack or on the side of it (and reverse that upon arrival to school). Right picture: this is a school folder that assignments get sent home in - kids need to be able to put papers in and out of those slots, and put in and take out that folder from their backpack.

ACADEMIC SKILLS

While kids are not expected to know how to read and write sentences when they arrive to kindergarten, they are expected to have an academic knowledge base. These are the skills that I noticed the kids who had the easiest time transitioning to kindergarten already had.

• Write and spell their name (kids are asked to do this right away over and over - here is a workbook to practice writing letters and this grooved workbook set is great to get the hand movements down)

• Letter sounds - not just letter names - since letter sounds (phonics) are what teachers focus on in kindergarten (to make it fun and not have it be stressful for you, try a video on YouTube that sings them or look into a class on Outschool to help)

• Counting from 1-20 and recognizing those numbers

• Build up hand strength for all the writing they do in kindergarten (make it fun with using playdoh or Legos!)

• Scissor skills (kids will need to know how to use scissors - click here for a workbook and here for kid scissors)

SCHOOL ROUTINE/PEOPLE

This area is the biggest change from preschool! Elementary school has many more rules than preschool does, plus it is usually larger and filled with a lot of different aged kids and classrooms and adults!

• Drive by the school ahead of time to show them where it is

• If possible, sign up for a day camp at the school during this summer so they at least know the lay of the land - and where the bathrooms are!

• Tell them their teacher’s name (if there is a meet and greet day, take a picture of the classroom and the teacher to refer to so they get familiar with them)

• Explain the timing of the school day - specifically the arrival and departure time

• Explain what a school bell is

• Explain what roll call is and what to say when they hear their name

• Explain who the people are who work at school that they may see - teacher, school nurse, principal, different coaches/specialists, crossing guard

• Explain what a fire drill is, an earthquake drill is, etc.

• Explain who will pick them up and how

• Explain any after school care/activities at the school

• Explain classroom etiquette - raising their hand, sitting at their desk when asked to, sitting on a rug for rug time/circle time/morning meeting, asking to use the bathroom

BOOKS TO READ TOGETHER

A cozy way to get used to the idea of starting kindergarten is to read books together. As we go through the summer, I will read these books to A(5) but since they may bring up a lot of questions from him, or I may want to take time to explain parts of the book to him, I will read them casually (without a big build up) during the day - not right before bedtime in case he gets anxious and then can’t fall asleep! I will also be sure to read them well before the last day of summer - again, there is no need to add to what is on A(5)’s mind the day before school starts by introducing one of these books!

I’m Going to Kindergarten

The Berenstain Bears Go To School

On the First Day of Kindergarten

The Night Before Kindergarten

These are the books I will read to A(5) during the summer: I’m Going to Kindergarten, The Berenstain Bears Go to School, On the First Day of Kindergarten, The Night Before Kindergarten

I hope these ideas help your kid have a smooth transition to kindergarten!

❤️, Amanda, your Type A Mom friend

PS: If you’re looking for ways to keep your older elementary kids’ academic skills sharp so they have an easier time adjusting to the start of school, click here for some ideas and resources to help!