Tips to help your Kindergartener start school

Emily Brown smiles with Evelyn who will be in kindergarten at North Cross this year (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

ROANOKE (WSLS 10) - Thousands of first time students are heading off to class. Kindergarten can be a stressful time for kids and parents.

5-year-old Evelyn will be going to kindergarten at North Cross. Mom, Kari Creehan, expects her to be excited walking in on the first day.

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"She doesn't tend to get nervous but there are plenty of kids...from being a teacher in the past there are plenty of kids who will be nervous. I think they just need to be reassured that they're going to be safe and ok and they'll see their mom at the end of the day," said Creehan.

"When parents come in at the beginning of the year there's just this excitement level of kindergarten," said Emily Brown, a kindergarten teacher at North Cross.

Brown says children react differently but there are things parents can do to make it a smooth transition.

"Make it fun, make it enjoyable. I think as much as parents can to lower their anxiousness because I think sometimes children are feeling anxious so if we try to make this as positive and normal and happy even if it is your first or your baby," said Brown.

The night before layout everything and get a good nights sleep. The morning of have a morning routine and allow for extra time for things like pictures and extra traffic and buses on the road.

"Just telling them how excited you are that there's going to be learning to read, or learning to do math or you can't wait to hear about the science that they experience. Those types of things I think really get kids excited," said Brown.

As for dropping them off the first day.

"If they have the option to go into the classroom to help them unpack and get acquainted, I would say don't linger. The teachers know what they're doing, they know how to help the kids get acquainted with everything and just let them do that don't peek through the window," said Creehan.

Brown suggests making sure to communicate with your child's teacher telling them 'thank you' if they did something that stood out like helping your child make new friends. She also says to point out trouble spots so the teacher can be on the lookout in the classroom.


About the Author:

You can see Jenna weekday mornings at the anchor desk on WSLS 10 Today from 5-7 a.m. She also leads our monthly Solutionaries Series, where we highlight the creative thinkers and doers working to make the world a better place.