Helping our little ones to get ready for Kindy and Prep

If your little one is headed to Kindy or Prep next year, the Christmas holidays are a great time to build their excitement about going by ‘practising’ Kindy and Prep tasks at home. Practising what they need to do in the morning to get ready, using what they will take to school at home first and becoming familiar with books, scissors and pencils will help make them feel comfortable, confident and ensure their first day and first week is a deadly experience! 

Morning routines

Getting out of the house in the morning, on time, with everything you need is important for your kids to feel calm and ready for their day. Thinking about what your little one can do each morning to help themselves get ready for the day is good for family organisation and will give your bubba confidence in themselves and their ability to do things for themselves.

Establishing a good morning routine is as easy as writing a list of what they need to do to be ready. Simple tasks in the order of when you want them done can work well. Tasks such as making their bed, getting dressed, putting shoes on, eating breakfast, brushing teeth and going to the toilet is a good starting point. Consider putting a picture beside the task to help your kids to understand what they have to do. Then practise these tasks at home before Kindy and Prep starts. Change the list of jobs around if some things are not working as your bubba may need your help with some jobs more than others, such as putting on their shoes. The list can change to suit your family and what needs to be done in the morning. These websites, may give you some ideas of what your morning routine could look like:

https://www.pricelessparenting.com/chart-for-kids and https://www.vivaveltoro.com/kids-daily-routine-chart/

Using their belongings

Often going to Kindy and Prep may be the first time your bubba will need to use a bag with a zip, and a lunchbox with clips or even a water bottle with a lid, these things can be tricky for your little ones to open by themselves. You can practice at home, so that they become familiar with these things and can open their lunchbox on their own. Consider making their lunch at home in their school lunchbox and teach them to open it by themselves. Do the same thing with their bag and water bottle. Make it fun! You could have special ‘school lunch’ days at home.

Using scissors

Kids will do a lot of cutting, gluing and sticking, particularly when they start Prep and being able to hold and use scissors is important. Again, practising at home before they begin Kindy or Prep will give your little ones confidence in using equipment, like scissors, in their classroom.

One way to practise at home is to put the ‘practising’ into fun craft activities. Using small scissors with a safe end to cut up thin paper or cardboard is good practice. Recently at our Family Wellbeing space Yamani Meta we had a ‘Preparing for Kindy and Prep’ morning where our visiting children did a scissor activity to build their skills. Why not try this activity at home with your little ones.

At Yamani Meta on 15 January we are having another special ‘Preparing for Kindy and Prep’ morning. If you are local to Townsville, come and join us! It runs from 10am to 12pm at 16 Peel Street, Garbutt.