Preparing for Kindergarten 101 - Real-life tips from a mom who’s been…

<p>The year my daughter was supposed to start school for the first time, I had SO many mixed feelings.</p><p>A non verbal 3 year old starting school, with major separation anxiety from Mom… just thinking about it made me so anxious. Honestly, the anxiety I felt about her starting school was even worse than when she was diagnosed with autism.</p><p>But instead of letting that anxiety take over, I gathered myself and got to work.</p><p>We started with different programs to help prepare her for school. One of them was an Entry to School program, which is similar to a start to school/daycare program, but specifically for autistic children.</p><p>We started talking about school and classrooms. We visited the school. I took her to every open house and showed her all the kindergarten classrooms.</p><p>We talked to the principal about how they would accommodate her, and we stayed in touch with the special education teacher about what her transition would look like.</p><p>She was also kind enough to arrange a visit for my daughter to meet her teacher and see her classroom before school started.</p><p>Then, about a month before school started, we made a social story.</p><p>It had pictures of her teachers, her classroom, what she would be doing at school and what her day would look like.</p><p>And we read it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 😂</p><p>Then, for the final 10 days, I made her a little countdown.</p><p>She got to colour it, and she had SO much fun with it.</p><p>Instead of choosing anxiety, I chose to make it fun for her.</p><p>And honestly, seeing HER excited and relaxed helped me feel more relaxed too.</p><p>I still make countdowns for her every year, and I feel like the transitions just keep getting easier.</p><p>We also make school exciting by letting her pick out her own school bag and a new, colourful shirt for the first day. Whatever your child is interested in and let them pick something that makes them excited about school. 💕</p><p>Another BIG tip: work on independence.</p><p>Practice opening their lunchbox and containers. Practice putting on their shoes. Practice asking for help.</p>