Kindergarten Bootcamp: Helping Kids Prepare for School in the Fall

Kindergarten Bootcamp: 

Strategies to Help Prepare Kids for School in the Fall

The summer before young children begin kindergarten is filled with anticipation on the part of both parents and children. Summer is a great time to get kids mentally prepared for school in the fall. However, most teachers will tell you that instead of drilling academic concepts, working on self-help skills is one of the best things parents can focus on over the summer to prepare their children for a successful start to the school year. Kindergarten teachers have a lot of little people to care for, keep track of, and smoothly move from one activity to the next throughout the day. Carve out some time this summer to be sure your child is as independent as possible with the following personal care skills. Their teacher will thank you! 

• Independence in Toileting: Use the summer to practice using the bathroom independently, including managing clothing, wiping, and washing hands afterward. If they happen to have an accident at school, be sure they know how to change their own clothes. 

• Managing Clothing: Especially as fall approaches, putting on and taking off their own sweatshirt or jacket is a good skill for your child to master before arriving at school. Build in practice over the summer to learn how to zip up their own coat. Most incoming kindergarteners can not yet tie their own shoes. Be sure to send them to school in sturdy shoes without laces, and practice shoe-tying at home. 

• Snack/Lunch Time: Whether your child will eat lunch at school or just a snack, they should be able to open their own lunchbox, water bottle, and any containers or pre-packed food items that they bring from home. Some packaging can be tricky for young children to open. If so, consider putting the items in an easier-to-open plastic container that they can manipulate on their own. They should practice opening their own string cheese, unscrewing their own applesauce pouch, or peeling their own tangerine. Make sure they understand what should be thrown away in the trash can (such as empty plastic containers), and what needs to be brought home (such as a thermos or utensils). Summer is a great time to have a backyard picnic with your child’s new backpack and lunchbox so you can practice all these skills a few times. They will feel like such a big kid if they can take care of things on their own, and they’ll be a big help to their teacher. 

• Managing Personal Belongings: Kindergarten students will be expected to keep track of personal items like backpacks, lunch boxes, art work, homework folders, and jackets. This summer, designate a shelf or a small crate at home to simulate what they might encounter at school, and practice keeping things in one location as well as how to load and unload their backpack on their own. 

By teaching and practicing these important self-help skills with your young kindergartener during the summer, parents can help prepare their children for a smoother transition to school in the fall.