mommiejenn
asks:
Q:
How can I help my kindergartner ease into school?
My son started all day kindergarten 9/19/12. He went into school excited & nervous. When I picked him up he told me he was homesick. He didn't eat his lunch or snack. That upset me. Today, we took him to school & he cried & held onto me telling me he wanted to stay with me! This broke my heart. My girls who are in 1st & 3rd grades went off to kindergarten without any problems. My question is how do I deal with the crying & not wanting to go to school. He also just turned 5, 8/2. He was going to speech therapy & I had him evaluated to ensure he was ready to start kindergarten. They advised me he was more than ready. I give him the "pep" talk in the morning. I just feel terrible!! Any advice would help. Thank you!!
In Topics:
Kindergarten readiness, Parenting / Our Family
> 60 days ago
What the Expert Says:
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Additional Answers (4)
You are doing a great job with the pep talks. Maybe spend some time with him after he gets home from school talking about what he learned. Make it a really big deal. Show him how excited you are about what he is learning and tell him how proud you are of him that he is going to school and learning so much. Ask him if he had made any friends and encourage him to be friendly.Change is hard for all of us and helping him to know that you will be there when he comes home helps with having something normal to hold on to. As time goes on the crying and reluctance to go will end.
> 60 days ago
I went through the same thing with my 5yr. old this year, and it took for me to sit in the classroom with her until she was comfortable enough to be there without me. After the 2nd day of school she was fine.
> 60 days ago
You are doing lots of good things and some good answers here too. You'll probably find that when speaking to teacher that he stops not long after you are gone (my children and many children are the same). I would also encourage some play dates etc with a friend at school too. I also used to leave cute notes in my children's lunch boxes etc for them to discover.
> 60 days ago
Definitely volunteer as much as you can. And discuss the situation with his teacher, letting her know that you are willing to work with her as a team to help him get used to the regimen. As far as the lunch and snack not being eaten, some boys find it hard to sit long enough to eat during the Kindergarten year (my son is case in point). But stay the course, even if you have to get a little strict with him, because he'll be a far different child when the year is up! Both of you will survive it!
> 60 days ago
