Guest Author - Terrie Lynn Bittner

The first day of kindergarten is a tremendous growing-up moment for a child, particularly one who has not been in day-care or preschool in the past. Some preparation for the big day can make the transition smoother for your child and even for you. Over the next three weeks we will talk about three types of preparation: social, academic and anticipation.

If your child has not been to school before, he needs to learn some basic skills. Some of these will have been learned on Sundays as he attends his church meetings, but they should be reinforced at home. Make sure your child knows how to do these things:

1. Sit quietly. This can be practiced during Sacrament Meetings, when children who are two or three should begin to have to stay in the meeting, and not be taken out to wiggle. Begin by taking away active toys. Allow your children to read or play quietly with a doll. Don’t allow any playing to happen until the Sacrament has been passed. Gradually increase the amount of time the child must wait to begin reading until he can sit through an entire Sacrament Meeting quietly. He can learn to sit beside you and listen to the talks if you play remembering games when you get home, to see what he learned. Although these meetings are seldom designed for children, most children can sit quietly if they gradually increase the amount of time spent doing so. Be sure you take your child to the bathroom and the drinking fountain before the meeting begins, and take the long way there so they get their “wiggles out.” Expect children to sit quietly at home as well, during family home evenings, at doctor’s offices and anywhere else they can practice.
2. Raise a hand and wait to be chosen before speaking. Your child will get some experience with this in Primary, but you should also have your children do this in family home evening and family council.
3. Stand in line. Practice this at grocery stores, banks and other places with lines. Expect your child to stay in his place and to remain still and quiet. An aura of peacefulness when at rest is a worthwhile quality to develop in a child.
4. Listen. Read books to your child, but also tell him stories without pictures. You can learn to tell very simple stories with a little practice. Learn to tell pattern stories. Learn to tell scripture stories. Read chapter books to your child before he seems old enough to hear them, beginning at bedtime when he’s drowsy and later reading them when he’s awake and can be taught to listen quietly.
5. Wait. If your child is the youngest or the only child, he may be accustomed to getting what he wants immediately. When he asks you to do something that isn’t critical, ask him to wait a moment. Gradually increase the waiting time for some requests. When he is one of twenty or thirty children, he will need to know how to wait.
6. Make topic-appropriate comments. Some teachers have little patience, especially when classes are large, for children who constantly raise their hands and then launch into long stories that have nothing to do with the question asked. Practice this skill during family night.
7. Be able to separate from parents. It is likely that if your child has been attending Primary, he is comfortable leaving you. If he is still reluctant, begin using weekly babysitters to help him learn that you come back when you go away.
8. Socialization: Make sure your child plays well with other children. Watch him as he plays to see if he is too bossy or is a bit of a bully. Make sure he doesn’t allow others to bully him. Can he take turns and can he allow others to do some of the choosing? If he hasn’t had much social experience, begin taking him to the park and also setting up play days. Be prepared to stay with him and step in to show him how to behave, so that he is welcome at other homes. Don’t excuse poor behavior because he is little. Many little children are able to behave well.

Next week, we will talk about the academic skills he should master before starting kindergarten, and the following week, we will discuss ways to prepare him to love kindergarten.