The Big Leap to kindergarten (or middle school)
THE PARENT PAPER
As storefronts fill with back-to-school signs and stacks of colorful notebooks, kids begin dreading the loss of the freedom of summer. But often, it is the parents who are filled with the most anxiety. This is especially true when kids are beginning elementary or middle school, and parents aren’t sure how best to help their kids make the transition.
This fall, Laura Epstein, a mother of four in Maplewood, will be sending her oldest off to kindergarten. Although he is excited, she is filled with questions that keep her up at night, "Will he find his classroom once he gets there? Will he get on the right bus home? Will he be feeling scared and alone? It is hard to give up the control and oversight you're used to having, and just trust everything will be OK." It’s also hard to know what it is teachers and school administrators expect of children this age.
That first day of kindergarten can often be harder for the parents than for the
This fall, Laura Epstein, a mother of four in Maplewood, will be sending her oldest off to kindergarten. Although he is excited, she is filled with questions that keep her up at night, "Will he find his classroom once he gets there? Will he get on the right bus home? Will he be feeling scared and alone? It is hard to give up the control and oversight you're used to having, and just trust everything will be OK." It’s also hard to know what it is teachers and school administrators expect of children this age.
That first day of kindergarten can often be harder for the parents than for the