“School readiness” By Shelley Heaphy

The next school year is not that far away. If you have little kids who will be starting school in the fall or even in a couple of years, these are some things that will help them transition easily. There are quite a few things we as parents can help out with at home to better prepare our children for the start of school. I know that lots of kids attend daycare before school and they will be learning some of these things with their educators. However, we can be doing little things to prepare them for the big transition to school to coincide what they are already learning. When I was in the classroom teaching kindergarten if my students exhibited some of the following skills, I thought that really helped them exceed in the classroom:
Ability to separate from parents/caregivers As a stay-at-home mom I identify with this skill very much. It’s important that we give our children a chance to be away from us occasionally so that the jump to school isn’t such a shock. I don’t have tons of opportunities to be away from my children, except for when we have a sitter for a few hours or visits with grandparents. Any little bit helps. Tears on the first days of school are more than normal, so try not to worry too much.