Sunday Post: Close-Up: Simple Tips for First Day of School Anxiety

Posted on August 12, 2012 by viviankirkfield

Jake at Time after Time has a Sunday Post Challenge and every week he provides a theme…this week’s theme is CLOSE-UP.

I know I’ve used this photo before…but it personifies “CLOSE-UP” perfectly.

Do you practice attached parenting? Are you a helicopter mom? Have you encouraged your child’s independence?

No matter what type of parent you are, you may be experiencing some anxiety as you send your child off for the first day of school.

Many children also have concerns about school. Will they like the teacher? Will the other kids be nice? Will they find their way around the maze of hallways and classrooms? (I get lost when I do school visits) Will they ever see you again?

Here are five simple steps that will make the transition from home to school smoother.

1. Have an upbeat, matter-of-fact, positive attitude about school.

2. If your child has not been there yet, arrange for a visit before school starts.

3. Connect with parents of other children in the class and have play dates with your child’s classmates…children feel more at ease when they see friendly faces in the classroom.

4. If you don’t have a routine in place for bedtime and getting-ready-for-the-day-in-the-morning time, put them in place now. Make it a habit to discuss plans for the next day in the evening and lay out clothes and anything else needed the night before. When school starts, your child will be used to getting things ready and you won’t have that last minute rush in the morning to find the missing shoe or backpack. Regarding bedtime, please make sure you are allowing plenty of time for your child to get ready (brush teeth, wash, lay out clothes and necessary items, story-time, etc.) and still be getting to bed at a reasonable hour.

5. Make sure your child is eating a good breakfast in the morning…when school starts, this will be even more important. My younger son loved pizza. Some children might prefer eggs and toast, cereal with fruit and milk, French toast and bacon or pancakes with fruit toppings. How about peanut butter and banana on whole wheat bread?

Many times, children who are fussy eaters become better eaters when you let them help out in the kitchen. If you are looking for some simple child-friendly recipes, Show Me How! has one hundred of them and teams each cooking activity with a picture book suggestion and a quick and easy eco-friendly arts and crafts project. You can order a copy on my website at less than 50% of the cover price. The book is available for shipment to Canadian residents also!

Studies show that the quality time you spend with your young children now has a positive impact on their school performance. This is a great opportunity to get a wonderful resource you can use on a daily basis, year after year. Show Me How is an award-winning book endorsed by parents, teachers and national organizations such as the JDRF. To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you need to be in their lives today. This is a book that makes it easy and fun to be in your children’s lives today! Don’t put it off until tomorrow!

Another thing not to put off until tomorrow: if you’d like to nominate your child’s school or other childcare facility in the Show Me How School Initiative, please don’t forget to leave a comment with the school’s name. If you don’t have young children, but know people who do, tell them about the free book their child’s school can receive!

Want more information about Jake’s Sunday Post?

http://jakesprinters.wordpress.com/

And here are some other bloggers who are doing Jake’s Sunday Post…click on a link and travel around the world:

http://p0nky.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/sunday-post-close-up/

http://blueberriejournal.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/close-up-2/

http://cyclingrandma.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/cheese-less-pesto/

http://drieskewrites.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/sunday-post-close-up/

http://bodhisattvaintraining.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/sunday-post-close-up/

http://perceptionsofareluctanthomemaker.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/jakes-sunday-post-close-up/

http://inspirationimport.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/my-mothers-eyes-close-up/

http://tracycampbellwriter.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/week-6-summer-short-sweet-challenge-have-you-been-bullied/

http://spanishpinaynanay.blogspot.com/2012/04/show-me-how-book-attached-parent-will.html

Is Your Child Ready for School?

Posted on August 10, 2012 by viviankirkfield

I speak with parents of preschoolers all the time.

One of the questions that I hear very frequently is, “I want to send my child to preschool. How do I know if he (or she) is ready?”

There are several key indicators we can look at that will help us answer that question. You need to observe your child to see:

1. How well does he/she interact with others?

If you feel your child has not had enough opportunities to interact with others then START SMALL: arrange play-dates with neighbor children of a similar age and attend library story programs. The summer before our youngest son was going to start kindergarten, we enrolled him in a three week nature class that was held every morning at a local nature center. He had not attended preschool or daycare and we wanted to give him a chance to be in a “classroom” setting. This worked out very well and he adjusted to kindergarten very well.

2. Has he/she been away from you?

If your child has not been away from you at all then

START SMALL: arrange to leave your child with a trusted friend or relative for an hour or so (take a walk around the block or a bubble bath) and enroll her in a library story hour or other local program.

3. How well does he/she transition from snack to play to story to craft to quiet time?

If your child has not had any experience with this or does not transition well then

START SMALL: during the day, let your child know you will be turning off the TV at the next commercial…tell him it will be naptime after the last page of the book is finished…find opportunities during the day to have your child transition from one activity to another.

4. Can your child’s speech be understood?

Your child should be able to speak in simple sentences of three to five words and be able to describe an activity or event that recently happened. If you think there is a problem, then speak with your pediatrician.

5. Does your child follow directions?

If your child does not seem able to follow directions then

START SMALL: give your preschooler easy tasks to do…put the plates on the

dinner table, help fold the clean towels…when cleaning up the toys, ask your child to put the blue blocks away first or tell her to pick up the book and put it on the couch.

There are two other factors that may have an impact on whether your child is ready for preschool: potty training and age.

Many preschools require students to be potty-trained or almost there. Your preschooler should also be able to put on and take off her shoes and coat, zip up her pants and wash her hands.

Regarding age, educators define preschool as the two years before kindergarten. The age minimum differs in preschools…some want the child to be three by December of that academic year, while others will accept two year olds.

Whatever your decision is about sending your child to preschool, spending time with your child will result in life-long benefits…building self-esteem, developing pre-literacy skills and strengthening the parent-child bond. Visit my website or Amazon to buy a copy of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking. This unique activity book/parenting resource/memory book will provide you with picture book summaries, easy crafts and healthful recipes…even an hour-by-hour schedule that will simplify your day. Using Show Me How will definitely help you achieve your child’s school readiness goals.

In my next post, I’ll give some simple steps parents can take to get ready for the new school year…whether their children are toddlers or teenagers.

The Show Me How! School Initiative

Please don’t forget to leave a comment, nominating a school or other childcare facility you would like to receive a free copy of Show Me How! We’ll be collecting nominations through the end of September…and will award a dozen books to schools across the country. If you can spread the word via Twitter, Facebook or Pinterist, I would appreciate it.

Do you know a teacher who would benefit from having this award-winning book?

Just leave a comment with the name of the school!

I’d also like to recommend another great resource for parents AND teachers…Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents by Susan Case…I’ll be reviewing this book in the next couple of weeks.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0937660965?ie=UTF8&tag=awoccomthewriter&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0937660965

Getting Kids Ready for Kindergarten (pragmaticmom.com)
Choosing a Preschool? 6 Questions to Ask (mommyfactor.net)
Preschool 1 (sweatsox.wordpress.com)
preschool graduate (joyloveandlife.typepad.com)
http://kindergartenbasics.blogspot.com/2012/08/kindergarten-readiness-enroll-or-wait.html

Starting School Jitters Be Gone!

Posted on July 30, 2011 by viviankirkfield

COLORADO SPRINGS PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS/TEACHERS OF PRESCHOOLERS

SAVE THE DATE

STARTING SCHOOL JITTERS BE GONE!

THE SHOW-ME-HOW STORY-TIME PROGRAM

Saturday, August 6^th

THERE WILL BE TWO IDENTICAL PRESENTATIONS

11:30am to 12noon and 12:30pm to 1pm

Family Christian Bookstore: 7560 N. Academy, Colorado Springs, CO

Bring your young children and listen to a story
Help your child make a simple craft project
Get a free flyer: 5 simple steps to a smoother school year
Enter to win free preschool craft supplies

Local author, Vivian Kirkfield, is a former kindergarten and Head Start teacher and mom of three. Her award-winning parenting book, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking, is a wonderful resource of story suggestions and educational fun-filled activities for preschoolers – a true shortcut for busy parents and teachers.