Meeting the Teacher(s)...

Ah the start of school. We are about to begin our school year and part of that means meeting the new teacher or teachers. Whether your child is in preschool, kindergarten, or even a higher grade, it's always helpful to be able to see who their teacher is going to be! I always thought it was a little wild that older grades in some of the schools I taught in never got a meet the teacher before school started. I know. Teachers are already overworked and overbooked by the time late August comes around. They have classrooms to set up, ice breakers to sit through, etc.

But, I always wondered what a difference it could make if students and parents could meet teachers and see their classrooms before the first day so it wasn't all brand new and parents didn't have to wait until back to school night or worse.... conferences in the middle of fall to speak to and see their child's teacher.

Anyway, back on track. If you are going to a "meet and greet", chances are the teacher or teachers will already have some paperwork, classroom information, basic get to know you things ready. When I taught kindergarten I LOVED orientation day. It gave me a chance to meet the kids and parents, soothe any worries, 99 percent of the time from parents :) and have a solid start to the year.

Some things you might do to prepare are think about questions you may have. Generally, they will go through a presentation or they might have some casual conversations with parents as they come in and out. But you'll have a chance to ask anything you might need to know for the first few days. You might want to find out:

• What do they need to bring to school? Lunchbox? Backpack? Water bottle?

• How will they be dismissed the first few days?

• How can I contact you if we have questions?

• What do you need from us for the year to be successful?

What does the daily schedule look like? (We used to have lunch at 10:45 which was SO early for a school that started at 8, so that was important for parents to know!)

A moment for some tough love:

It's important to remember that you're not the only parent there and it's not time to conference about your child, tell about their unique needs, how wonderful they are, etc. If you have any specific concerns that require more detail, write an email or ask for a quick phone call or good time to reach out before the year starts if there's something super urgent. Just don't make that time in front of all the other parents who also have a million questions!

I always used to tell my parents, many of whom were first time Kindergarten parents, not to worry too much. We know it's a big step for everyone and its an exciting new chapter (this goes for preschool and first grade too). And I always let them know that we are partners, teammates and both want to see their child succeed and have a great year. You will be just fine and so will your little learner. School is a big deal, but it will be AMAZING to see how much your child learns in ten short months. I can't wait to be part of this journey with you!

A Note on Time...

I've been thinking a lot about time. Having time for things like laundry, meal prep, keeping up with the house. Time for working out, self care, and friendships. Time for spending with my almost toddler, my husband and our dog. Quality time, nap time, bed time. All the times that make up our day. And then I was specifically thinking of time with regard to readiness skills and at home activities. I spent the weekend with my son at home and was coming up with ideas for him for sensory play, language development, music and books. This made me think of other working parents and the time they have to do all of these activities, and the pressure they might feel to "do more" to prepare their children.

So. I wanted to address this in a way that I hope helps! Supporting your child's learning doesn't have to be scheduled. it doesn't have to be about using flash cards or drilling the alphabet. You don't have to set aside time each day to "work" with them. As a working parent, I know that the evenings are busy- dinner, bath, bed, maybe extracurriculars or other obligations. It is SO important for parents to know these few things about "working" with their children.

1. Learning can happen at any time of day, even when doing things around the house (these are some of the best kinds!)

2. If you have to make dinner, allow your child to help measure or pour. Right there is fine motor skills and math. Unloading the dishwasher? Allow your child to help- carefully! No sharp knives please :). When they put the dishes away or sort them into piles, that's math. Same goes for laundry!

3. Activities don't need to be expensive or require a lot of materials. This weekend we made sensory dough with some baby rice cereal my son didn't like. I added some water and it made a sticky dough. Fine motor and sensory.

4. One that is really great on the go is listening to audio books with them in the car on the way to or from school. You can also listen to poems, rhyming songs, or anything with a beat to develop listening skills, language skills, and comprehension skills.

All this to say, I know it's hard to find the time. You have limited time with your children if you[re a working parent. You may need some new activities to keep them busy as a stay at home parent. No matter what your situation, you can help them learn every day!

And the best part, it doesn't have to be expensive, time consuming or a challenge to get them to sit down for learning. Keep following along for more activities coming your way.

The Buzz on Kindergarten Readiness

As a former Kindergarten teacher, I have my own ideas about what readiness looks like. And the more research I have been doing online, following other instagram accounts and hearing from other Kindergarten teachers, I've noticed that "readiness" is SO different depending on the teacher, the school, sometimes people who aren't teachers want to weigh in on it, etc. It seems like everyone has an opinion, so what does it REALLY mean?

Basically, it depends. Are you focused on academics? Worried about what your child needs to know for kindergarten? Or worried about the emotional toll a big transition like this might take? Or maybe you have been thinking of the general skills your child might need. Maybe you haven't thought about any of this yet or at all.

DON'T WORRY. There's a few reasons for this.

1. Children all enter school at different places, and K teachers are masters at meeting kids where they're at. I haven't heard of a single case where students are thrown in and just expected to know everything on day 1. They're 5 after all!

2. You have time. Whether your child is a toddler, preschooler, or rising Kindergartener, you still have time to practice some basics before school starts.

3. They have the whole year to learn and grow and Kindergarten often starts slowwwww. I mean slow. Like this is a pencil and this is how we use it slow.

But there are a few things you can do to prepare, no matter what season you are in right now. I could go on all day about what's important but I'm going to start with 3 big things to know before day 1 to help it go more smoothly for everyone!

The first thing that's important is independence skills. Please please please make sure your child can use the bathroom on their own. They can wash and dry their hands, they know where the bathroom is and are confident in asking to go when they need to. Some other basics are carrying their own backpack, being able to hang it up in a cubby or locker, and put their jacket on and take it off. These are easy to practice at home before school even starts and will help your child be more confident going into the first day.

Next, make sure your child and his or her teacher knows how they are getting home on day 1. If they ride the bus, make sure they know the bus number. If they go to after care or car pickup, same thing. It helps them feel less confused and uncertain about what will happen at the end of the day if they are confident in their "go home" plan.

One that most people don't think of- opening their lunchbox and the food inside their lunchbox! I have unfortunately seen little ones unable to open snacks or bottles and are too nervous to ask for help so they sit there for far too long without asking for help. Practice showing them how to open snack packages, containers, juice boxes, etc. before the start of school. There's always staff available to help, but think of how many 5 year olds will need help opening things those first few weeks!

If you practice these few skills before the start of school, you (and your little one) will be much more confident and hopefully much more calm going into the first day. And remember, they're 5! They won't do all of these things perfectly and may not be able to do it all by day 1. But they'll have support from friends, teachers and staff to help them along the way. Try not to worry too much :)