What to Expect When Your Kid Goes to Kindergarten

Talking to your kid about joining kindergarten is exciting until the day finally comes and you have a difficult time letting them go. The excitement and anticipation all fades away and both you and your kid become emotional. But such feelings are quite normal.

This is what you should expect when your child goes to kindergarten:

• Just because they cry does not mean they don’t want to go in

Your child may really want to go into the classroom and they are excited about it. The only problem is that the want you to hold their hand while they do it because it is something new to them. Since kindergarten teachers expect it, they know how to handle your child better than you could. So walking away from your child as they cry does not make you a bad parent.

• Your child will be hungry when they come home

When your child comes back home after a school day, he or she will be completely famished. Since in kindergarten they typically eat once during the day and for a short period, your child will come home feeling hungry and will have an appetite like never before.

• Your child will fall asleep in the most unexpected place in the first few weeks

Transitioning from preschool to kindergarten is significant can make your child get tired very easily. The number of hours of instruction increase unlike what they may be used to. So your child can fall asleep at any place and at any time. Be prepared to carry them to their room for most times after school.

• Your child may not want to go back after the first day

It is very easy for your child to get irritated about spending another day in kindergarten because of the rules and the time they spend there. After the first day, they may not want to wake up the following morning for school. Unfortunately, you cannot give in to their wishes since they will never get used to going to school if you keep allowing them to stay at home. The alternative is to help them focus on fun things that they liked in school.

• Your child may not be the best behaved child at home for just a while

Once your child goes to kindergarten, they may start acting sassy and talking a little bit more after school started. The school is not to blame for this. The “bad” behavior is mostly because once your child is in school, he or she “uses up” all their behavior at school. As a result, they tend to be irritable and over-tired when they get home. So your child may act up a little bit more than usual but this will only last for a while before they can adjust to the school system and find their footing.

Kindergarten is the time to watch your child truly shine. He or she gets to meet new friends and teachers who bring put the best in him or her. As the days go by, you will be amazed at their growth.