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Angela Hickman


My Little Girl Starts School This Year

So this month my baby girl turns 4 years old.  It is bittersweet.  I am excited for the new journey she is going to embark on this year.  In September she will be starting junior kindergarten.  She will be in school 5 days a week for 2.5hrs.  She is already excited for her first day of school and often asks when she can start.  I on the other hand, am nervous for her as I am excited.  Will she make new friends, will she remember her manners, and will she listen to her teachers?  She has never been to daycare and preschool, so this will be a new experience for her.  She has been to gymnastics, swimming lessons and ballet and I hope that these activities will give her the basics she will need to get through the first weeks of school.

I have a few other plans to get her prepared.  We have bought some activity books and have started practicing her printing and writing numbers.  She already knows how to write her first name and I am trying to teach her how to spell her surname now.  Now that the weather is warming up, we will start taking walks along the route we will take to school.  I feel these steps will make her feel comfortable being “on her own”.

I would love to hear your suggestions of what you have done or what you will do prepare your child for their first day of school.



  • Vicki McKinnon

    I am a mom in the same position and I am also a teacher.  As an educator I have not pushed my daughter at home because I think that they only have a certain amount of time to be kids and play and be silly.  Once they get to school it is time for them to be more serious and learn.  Even though parent involvement is needed for your child to be successful in their education I believe that once they are in school then you will know what things need to be worked on at home.  The fact that she can write her first name is really good because many children are still working on that skill in SK.  You just need to have faith that you have given your child all of the tools they need to be a good student.

  • Nancy T

    I’m in Ontario and it’s mostly play based learning (full day every other day for my SK daughter).  Your daughter will be just fine!  If she can put on her own coat/shoes, unzip her bag and spell her first name she’s already has a great start!

  • Laura

    My son won’t be going to school full days until grade one, but I plan on preparing him for lunches, as I feel this will be the hardest part (he takes over an hour to eat supper on a good night!) I think we’ll let him pick out a lunch bag and “pack his lunch” a few times throughout the summer and let him eat out of the lunch bag as if he’s at school. We’ll also have to teach him how to eat only half as he’ll have two nutrition breaks, rather than one lunch.

  • Shawna L.

    I am in the same boat, only I am an Early Childhood Educator. I try not to push my son too much. If I try to get him to do things he doesn’t want to he shuts down on me. I take him to library programs ans such to help him get used to being seated and doing organized activities. I have been trying to work with him on writing his name but he isn’t very interested in colouring or anything like that so getting him to start writing his name…. not so much.
    I know he does well with his friends in Daycare so that will help him. I think I’m more worried about me being the Mom who is crying on his first day of school! ;)

  • Amanda MacGregor

    My daughter Started school this past September, she started at age 3  because her birthday is in November. It was very hard to let her go she was only the only child in tears and I was the only parent in tears. She was very excited to start school and when the big day came she was not ready to leave me. She didn’t know her letter and didn’t know how to do her name, so you are off to a better start then what I had started with. The first day can be stressfull on you and your daughter, but be stronger then I was lol. You can always try and play school and she how she acts. Sound like she will do great! 

  • Brienne Burnside

    Really liked your posting, there’s a lot to think about with starting school!

  • Precilla

    There will be still a year till my daughter going to JK but I have already had the same concern as you.  Not sure if I am too nervous or not, but I have been teaching her alphabets and numbers and hope that she will have a great transition to school

  • Jodie H

    My 4 year old started pre-k last September and I think you have a great headstart on making your daughter feel prepared. With my son, he was the biggest kid in the class and I wanted to make sure he wasn’t seen as a bully just because of his size. We got him involved in more social activities and I started hosting playdates so he was emotionally prepared to mix with both boys and girls in his class.

  • chris

    omg – my son doesn’t start school for 2 more years and I’m already freaking out about it. Leaving him alone all day! We haven’t done daycare, so I’m used to him being closely watched by me or someone else in our family. I’m planning on doing 1/2 day preschool next year to prepare him. No real suggestions except to try and ease into it. Maybe find a drop of program, art or a sport that’s only an hour a week and start with that so it’s not such a shock.

  • Saphire30

    My son started last year, and I was so excited for him to go and meet new friends (there arent too many kids or programs in our neighbourhood). He was so excited to be riding the school bus to school, and I was extremely nervous that he wouldnt listen to the teacher, but as it turned out, he was one of the best behaved students in the class! lol You will forget all about your anxieties when you child comes home from school so excited to tell you all about his/her day, what they learned, and especially for me, after a few months him finally READING to me and my daughter for the first time!

  • Can_kiska

    Congrats! Hope she loves it!

  • Penny

    I completely understand where you are coming from. My daughter just turned 4 and starts school this year although she will be going FULL days! I have so many concerns. It’s great to see someone else has the same worries and concerns I do. Thanks for the suggestions for trying to make her “ready”! The only suggestions I have is take her to large playgroups or play dates to help with some more social skills. (we’ve started to attend the parent and literacy center @ my daughters school, if there is one in your area I highly recommend going!)

  • Celinawoywoy

    My daughter is starting kindergarten in September and is very excited.  I taken her to a few things at the school so she gets familiar with the environment and gets even more excited.  The school she is going to has had a couple get ready for kindergarten days and next month they are having a welcome to kindergarten day for all the kids that are registered to attend in September, she even gets an invite in the mail for this one…

  • Adriana Fitzgerald

    My daughter won’t be starting Kindergarten until next September but this past January I put her 1 day a week into Nursery School. She absolutely LOVES it and I think it is really going to help prepare her for ‘real’ school next year.

  • Kerri

    My son is starting JK in September as well, all day, everyday!  He will only be 3, not turning 4 until November, so he seems so young still.  We are only just mastering potty training!  I have done similar things, such as walking the route to school and he came with me to register, so he saw where the gym, the JK classrooms and the office are.  Our neighbourhood park is right beside the school, so we see the school often and he has even met a handful of kids at the park who are also starting JK this fall.  Since my little guy is a very active and busy boy, I’m a little anxious about him sitting and listening as well.  We are working on printing his name using lots of hands-on methods (with stamps, playdough, with chalk, etc.).  I’m sure there’ll be an adjustment period, but I’m hoping for the best! 

  • Deanna

    My girl is starting full time JK in Sept.  Super shy, so I’ve had her in preschool 2 mornings total of 5hrs a week its just now seeing her open up.  She’s find if people come to our house, but I’ve been active in mom’s group since she was born, playdates etc and its just hard to get her out of shell. 
    I just praise the things she does in school and say how fun it is.  By doing this I have seen a change.  Hopefully it goes that well when she starts everyday.

  • Deanna

    My girl is starting full time JK in Sept.  Super shy, so I’ve had her in preschool 2 mornings total of 5hrs a week its just now seeing her open up.  She’s find if people come to our house, but I’ve been active in mom’s group since she was born, playdates etc and its just hard to get her out of shell. 
    I just praise the things she does in school and say how fun it is.  By doing this I have seen a change.  Hopefully it goes that well when she starts everyday.

  • Kristysharpe33

    great!! love these tips :)

  • Jessica Gilbert

    my daughter is only 15 months, but we are going to put her in preschool in the fall.  when we went to tour it, i felt like she is too little to be going  already!

  • http://twitter.com/MariaCiliberto Maria Ciliberto

    My little girl starts in September as well and I’ve been going through the same things.  You’re lucky yours will be half day, my daughter is starting with full day kindergarten and I’m terrified for her.  It’s going to be a long day.  Hope she’ll be okay.  I know she will, she is so excited.  It’s just me worrying too much.

  • http://www.facebook.com/zeemaid Zee Maid

    My son starts kindergarten September and other than working with him on his writing skills, we haven’t done much “preparing”.  But then his two older sisters are going and he’s quite excited.  My son does got to preschool three times a week so perhaps that really was the best prep we’ve done. 

  • Susan23

    It is bittersweet. Mine is 21/2 and I’m already worried and sad about her starting school :(




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