Teagan has always been a very social little girl. The moment she gets to a playground she has new friends, she loves meeting new kids her age and playing with them. I honestly never thought I would hear her tell us she was worried about making friends but here we are. You see next school year is going to be a lot different for our family. Teagan is leaving the small school that my kids have attended for years and heading to an art magnet school that fits her talents perfectly. While I am so excited for this change it is hard on me too, but I honestly did not think Teagan would struggle.
Kindergarten is always a big transition for any child but for Teagan she will be transitioning to a new schedule, new school and more importantly new classmates. Over the last few weeks she has been having some growing anxiety over this transition, not so much about the new school but more about her worry of not making any friends. Now, I laugh about this because she can literally walk into any room with other children and instantly find a connection but I want to make sure she knows we understand her anxiety over this big transition.
Tips For Helping Your Kindergartener Have A Great School Year
While I do not have all of the answers to making sure your child has the best Kindergarten experience I do believe there are ways to help your children to go into that first day of school with confidence and excitement!
Sleep Well Little One
Seems like an obvious tip but we often forget how important sleep is for children (hey and adults) especially during stressful seasons of life. Making sure that your child gets into a good sleeping routine well before the start of school will only help once you are in the back to school routine.
Attend Summer Events At The School
Often times schools host summer events like picnics or carnivals to let the students meet before school begins. We are very excited for these events as I know it will help Teagan see that she will have so much fun at this new school. This will allow your child to explore the new classmates and teachers with you in tow.
Talk About The Upcoming Transition
I have always been a parent that wants to have an open dialogue with my child, even at this young age. That being said, to help Teagan understand this transition we have been talking about what her schedule will look like and show her all of the paperwork we have received about her classroom. We have also taken time to set up a one on one tour so she could see the school while kids were in class. It was fun for her to see exactly what her classroom will look like for the new school year.
Positive Talk
Some parents are very emotional themselves about this big step into Kindergarten, that being said, make sure you try to keep your emotions of your child growing up to yourself especially if your child is already anxious about this big transition. Do your best to project a happy, positive attitude about school to your child, I know this is harder than it seems. In addition to this, make sure you talk positive about the school, teacher and classroom you child is moving too! Talk it up and make it so exciting!
Go Shopping
Who doesn’t love going back to school shopping? I have the best memories of heading out for back to school shopping with my mom. School supplies are my favorite and lucky for me my mom loved it too! So we would kind of go a bit crazy. I guess Teagan got that love from us because she also LOVES this time of the year because of the shopping! We make sure we let the kids pick out some of their favorite school supplies and also get new clothes, backpack and lunchbox. Such a treat for them! And that treat makes school so exciting!
Help Your Child Make New Friends
No, I do not mean you go in and set your kids up with friends. After talking to Teagan about her anxiety over making new friends it was discovered that Teagan was most worried about lunchtime. This will be the first year she will be enjoying lunch at school, while she is so excited to pack a lunch everyday she said she was afraid that no one would want to eat with her. This broke my heart but then I got to thinking about lunchtime in schools. It is absolutely scary sometimes at lunch but the key is to get your classmates to start talking and having fun. Mardi Gras Napkins has the perfect solution to this issue for all students, but especially those that are feeling a bit scared about a new school and classmates. Simply adding Mardi Gras Napkins to lunchboxes can make lunchtime conversations bloom in the cafeteria.
Mardi Gras Napkins’ Conversation Starters
I remember when we first bought these fun Mardi Gras Napkins’ conversation starters and we sat down for dinner. You wouldn’t believe the fun we had as a family, and honestly we have not bought any other kind of napkin since. My kids LOVE waiting to see which question or thought they get on their napkin at mealtime.
After thinking about how to help Teagan feel more confident about lunchtime at school I instantly thought of all of the fun family mealtime memories we have made with Mardi Gras Napkins’ conversation starters. I have added these napkins to our must have items for Back To School for both kids but especially for Teagan. Teagan is going into Kindergarten knowing how to read and she can easily read these conversation starters too. We will be encouraging her to open her lunchbox at lunch and ask her classmates these fun questions just like we do at home.
Pack Yummy Lunches
Now that you have the conversation started it is important that kids LOVE their lunches you pack too. Look, I will never be a Bento Box mom, but I do love giving my kidsyummy lunches that they look forward too. Providing them with a lunch that is healthy and filling will only help them have a better day at school.
Mardi Gras Napkins’ conversation starters are the best addition to any mealtime. These simple yet colorful napkins will bring conversation back to the mealtime table and are great for all ages. I am excited to see how Teagan ROCKS lunchtime at her new Kindergarten. We are ready for Kindergarten and a new school year!
How are you preparing your child for the new school year?
