By: Tiffany Goulet
The first day of school…
For some, it’s exciting; for others, terrifying.
For some, it’s long-awaited; for others, it arrived too soon.
For some, they feel ready; for others, not at all.
No matter how differently we all feel about this transition, we can surely agree that we want it to be smooth for everyone involved.
For the past few years St. Joseph’s School in Dryden, Ontario has really been digging deep into Self-Reg. We’ve been working to change both our mindset and approaches to how we support our students and families. What we realized was that despite it being a potentially exciting time for families and students, the transition to school is ripe with stressors for everyone in each of the 5 domains.
When it came time to plan our Kindergarten Registration, what we had “always done” no longer aligned with what we believed about self-regulation and building relationships. So, we decided to completely redesign our transition plan. Now of course, with change comes risk….but in the end “nothing changes if nothing changes”, right?
Over the next six months, we met our families monthly. We would play, connect, and begin a slow and very intentional transition to school. Our first goal was to increase feelings of safety and security. Our second goal was to reduce stressors– knowing that this would help to facilitate a smooth transition in September.
The feedback from families was amazing! The first day of school was the most relaxed one I have experienced in 6 years. We saw less stress behaviours during the transitioning to kindergarten phase itself as well as into the school year. The entire community of teachers, parents and students felt connected, calm, and ready.
This change was worth the risk!
You can read Tiffany’s full article as posted in The International Journal of Holistic Early Learning and Development, editor – Dr. Sonia Mastrangelo. Please visit: Reducing Stress Around the Transition to Kindergarten
27 Comments
I am happy for you Tiffany!!!
I feel as a parent it is very important to help your child with the transition, make it so he or she isn’t scared, by telling them of all the children who will be their new friends. I even practiced with my so . I believe if done right any transition can be fun and not scary
Thanks for sharing, Yvette! Do you find that everyone is friends at school? How might we support these positive relationships for kids? I would love to hear your thinking.
Aviva
I feel that everyone wants to be friends in school as well as out. It is important to help children come together and learn to be a friend. We can take a new child and introduce them and maybe even start a game with all the children together, to make the transition easier.
Thanks for sharing ways that you’ve supported these friendships, Yvette! Do you ever hear kids say that they “don’t want to be friends with [Name]?” If so, how would you respond?
Aviva
I feel the same way. As A mother and a grandparents. I feel transitioning slowly makes for better results and outcomes. And you are right, they can be a lot of fun too.
What a great point, Tracy! I’m curious to hear how others feel about this and the impact that they’ve noticed on their child if they have gone through a similar program.
Aviva
so true some are ready and some ae not . How ever is it the the stigma/ perspective of what being ready for school looks like .Through and educators eye or and parents eye. And are we setting the up with a positive mind set or is it Poor xxx he so not ready for school .
Children hear more then they let on. Positive conversation absolutely need to happen. Grow the seed don’t over water it and stress it to death.
Thanks for your comment, Lesley! What do you think these positive conversations might look and sound like? I’d love to hear more.
Aviva
There are so many unknowns with stepping in to a new school environment, simply having opportunities to put a face and a memory to the names of the children, families and teachers helps so much! If not for the children (who may forget over the summer), then for the parents. The fact that they already know some of what to expect, who to talk to, who else may be in the class, turns many of the “what if” worries into known entities that help people mentally prepare for a new phase in parenting. This was one of my favourite parts of working in a private school, and one of my biggest frustrations in sending my son to a public school. Nothing was answered until he was already standing on their doorstep. Thank you for taking time to bring some intentionality into setting parents minds at ease
Thanks for sharing about your experience, Aurora! I’m sorry to hear that you felt this way about public school. What might’ve made things better? I wonder if there are some specific things that could be done to help ease these worries for parents and kids.
Aviva
Aviva
Yes, I remember when I was that kid, so nervous and terrified. It is a new routine, lots of changes that aren’t always ready for which is normal. Kids adapt differently and to each their own.
Some may like change while others don’t. And we fine ways to make every kid comfortable in they’re own way.
Thanks for your comment, Emmy! I agree with you. What are some ways that we might help children who need it? I’d love to hear more.
Aviva
As i read through the article i couldn’t help but recall the number of parents needing co-regulation when it came to the new school year. We shifted our focus to include getting children ready to enter the prep environment and incorporating parent information sessions on building their toolkit to help co-regulate their children and themselves prior to the new year.
Thanks for your comment, Cindy! Could you share some ideas of what ideas you suggested? What impact did these have for parents and students? I’d love to hear more!
Aviva
“Over the next six months, we met our families monthly. We would play, connect, and begin a slow and very intentional transition to school.”
I would love to hear more details about what this looks like. We recently held our “Welcome to Kindergarten” night where students and parents had a chance to explore the school and visit classrooms. We also have transition meetings for students whom Community Partners felt would need a little bit more support with school transitioning. Beyond this, I would love to know how interactions were facilitated over the six-month period so that we can better support our youngest students.
Thank you!
Thanks for your comment, Karen! I’m hoping that the author of the post can respond with more information. Is there anything else that you’ve considered for your kindergarten families? It would be interesting to hear what different people have tried to reduce stress for kids and adults alike.
Aviva
Hi Aviva,
I am thinking about sending bi-weekly emails throughout the summer, one being a link for this article! I will also be at the school for the last two weeks of August and could invite families to drop in, at that point we should know whose classroom students will be in. I am open to any other suggestions!
Karen
Thanks Karen! I love these ideas. I wonder if when connecting with families, they might also share thoughts about what might work for them. I’ve done a lot of work around parent engagement, and really hearing ideas shared by families tend to strengthen these relationships with parents and children. What do you think? I’d love to hear how things go.
Aviva
It is definitely important for children to have a very slow transition to school before they start by monthly get together with our families . This gives children time to play and connect with others.
Thanks for your comment, Melodie! Have you seen this happen a lot in school boards? I would be curious what this looks like in different places.
Aviva
This is a great idea too, it will give parents and the children the opportunity to see a bit of their daily routine.. a way to build trust too. Open communications
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Tracy! I wonder what this might look like in other schools or Boards.
Aviva
This approach focuses on making the move to kindergarten a calm and positive experience for children and their whānau. By understanding and reducing stressors, building trusting relationships, and creating predictable, supportive environments, children can feel safe, confident, and ready to learn. It’s about setting the foundation for lifelong wellbeing and success.
Thanks for your comment, Marata! As someone who’s taught kindergarten for many years, who’s now teaching another grade, I’m wondering how important this is in other grades too. What might this look like in practice? Thoughts?
Aviva
It is very special and very scary for a child to start school. Leaving their parents, going into a big building not knowing anyone. So I feel in is very important for a staggered start. And take them for visits prior to the first day. Get them use to the play grounds, familiar faces, go in the school for small walk abouts before the first day, show them where the bathrooms are. Every small step means a great deal to these little faces, because once they take that first step onto the school grounds, its a big journey ahead. Its always good to get well prepared.
What wonderful points, Tracy! I really appreciated all of the transitions that you pointed out. Is there anything else that you would show? Curious if others have different ideas too.
Aviva