As a teacher, I always get questions this time of year from parents wanting to make sure that their soon-to-be kindergartner is ready for school come fall. In addition to focusing on activities like daily family reading and practicing counting to 10, pencil grip, and letter recognition, I always tend to focus more on the less academic type skills that are equally, if not more, vital to your student’s school success.
Tips like:
- Make sure your child knows their full name and can recognize his/her first name on a nametag.
- Practice putting coats and sweatshirts on and off.
- Give them experience talking to adults who are not family members.
- Encourage them to use appropriate volume when speaking to others (i.e., no mumbling or whispering as well as no yelling).
- Practice spending time away from parents and siblings.
- Teach them to clean up after themselves when they eat lunch.
This year, however, life is a bit wonky. This year, we have a whole new set of parameters that everyone will be adjusting to. This year we have major health concerns.
While every state and district will be approaching the issue of school expectations amidst this pandemic differently, here are a few things that will come in handy for young kiddos as they prepare for a major life change under majorly unique circumstances.
Practice personal bubbles
This is hard for young students, especially since it’s likely that physical and nurturing contact with parents has been a major part of their daily lives. Teach them non-contact greetings like waving and distance fist bumps as an alternative to hugs and high fives.
Teach them to properly wash their hands
A quick rinse will not do it. Teach them a song to sing like “Happy Birthday” that is roughly 20 seconds long and insist on warm water with soap and focus on getting between fingers and frequent touch points like palms.
Explain when to wash hands
Let’s face it, we mainly teach kids to wash their hands after they go to the bathroom and that’s about it. That, combined with the fact that they have mostly been confined to the home and not exposed to outside germs regularly means that many parents may not focus on frequent washing unless there is visible dirt or grime. Kids need to be taught to wash frequently, after they’ve touched something like doorknobs and recess equipment and definitely before they eat.
Insist that they stop picking their nose
These days, picking your nose is not just gross, it’s a very risky behavior. There are few more direct ways to get germs in your body than inserting your finger into your nostril. Instead, teach your kid to use a tissue, throw that tissue away, and then wash hands thoroughly.
Practice wearing masks
No matter your opinion on the Great Mask Debate, it’s a fact that your child will be required to wear one while in the classroom. If you have worn one yourself for any length of time, you know that they are tricky to get used to. Do a bit of research to find a mask that will be comfortable for your child and not fall down, and then practice wearing them around the house.
Kids need reasons
I’ve found that both kids and adults alike are much more likely to buy in and prioritize doing something if they understand the reasoning behind it. You may feel that your child is too young to discuss issues like COVID-19, but you can share the importance of these behaviors without freaking them out. Begin by explaining that everyone has germs, and these are ways for us to stay healthy and keep everyone around us healthy too.
Your kids will get it. They are surprisingly intuitive and also incredibly resilient. We’ll get through these crazy times, and fingers crossed that we all develop some good healthy habits that we can take with us into the future.
