Pardon me as I dust myself off and come out of the Hellobee woodwork…September always turns me into a bit of a recluse as I get caught up in the busyness of the start of a new school year. This September I was even more exhausted than usual as I returned to work full-time after two years of working part-time, and as I helped Lil’ CB adjust to a full-day of school, too!

The first month of school is always hard for new Kindergartners. It’s often mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting and most 5 year-olds have to ease into the transition. As a Kindergarten teacher, I know that the first month of school is all about adjusting and transitioning to a new school, new teacher, new friends, and new routines, and that any academic learning that happens on top of that adjustment is icing on the cake! Just kidding. Kinda.

Lil’ CB now has his first month of Kindergarten under his belt and I’m happy to say that he’s had a great transition! Here are some thing that have helped make that transition smooth:

1. Sleep: More than ever, I am protective of Lil’ CB’s sleep. He stopped napping long ago, but still had an hour of “quiet time” daily before school started. Now that he is at school all day, he no longer has his quiet time, so when he comes home, he’s quite exhausted from a busy day of learning! Since the start of school, we have gone back to a pretty strict bedtime of 7:30. We were more lax about bedtime in the summer, and Lil’ CB was going to bed anytime between 7:30 and 8:45. Once we were a week away from school starting, we went back to 7:30 bedtimes and have stuck with them since. Lil’ CB is out like a light and asleep within minutes if not seconds of me leaving his room after his bedtime stories and prayers. He sleeps for about 11 hours, which means he is waking up at around 6:30am. This gives him a good hour in the morning before we leave for school. And it also brings me to my next point!

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2. Maintaining a regular morning routine: While Lil’ CB can go from 0 to 60 in about 1 second flat, he does best in the mornings when he’s had some downtime to ease into the day. Right now, because he’s sleeping earlier, he’s waking up with ample time to slowly get ready. He wakes up, comes downstairs, and lays on the couch with his lovey and chats with me while I make his breakfast and lunch. Then, he eats his breakfast, does his morning chores (feeding the dog and packing his backpack), and heads upstairs to brush his teeth and put on his clothes. By the time he’s done with all of that, he’s got about 15-25 minutes left until we have to head out the door. Since he’s had some time to play and hang out, he’s happy to get going to school without making a fuss or dragging his heels. On the two occasions that he’s slept in a bit later, our mornings were not pretty!

3. Packing favorite foods: Lil’ CB is a champion eater and has been used to eating a packed lunch at school for the past two years. However, in preschool, he ate in his classroom, whereas now, he is eating in the big, giant school cafeteria. And, since the teacher to student ratio is greater in the cafeteria and there are more students in there at once, there is a lot more to distract my little guy. By packing some of his favorite foods for the first few days, I could make sure he was getting a good lunch and also give him something to look forward to come lunchtime. Thankfully, his lunches have been coming back fully eaten almost every day!

4. Limiting weekday activities: When Lil’ CB was in preschool, we’d often go to afternoon activities or playdates because we’d still have a good 5 hours until dinnertime. Now, with school ending at 2:50 and us leaving school closer to 3:45 after finishing up prep for the next day, we’re down to a mere 2 hours until dinner. On top of that, Lil’ CB is exhausted at the end of the school day! Because of that, other than soccer practice once a week, we limit weekday activities and head home, which allows for…

5. Ample play time/down time at home: I swear, when Lil’ CB gets home, it’s like he’s missed his own toys and books and he’s happy to just play quietly on his own in order to decompress from 7 hours at school. We’ll get outside and play, too, but the important thing is that we’re not really doing anything structured. Young children need unstructured, self-directed playtime to balance out the structured routines at school. I always tell my students that their homework is to go home, play, and have an adventure. Plenty of play time allows for a mental and emotional break that will then prepare them for another day at school. In fact, since school has started, our late afternoons and evenings have been so much more enjoyable than in the summer when late afternoons/evenings would often bring on a giant whinefest!

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While a lot of these tips might seem like no-brainers, they have made Lil’ CB’s transition to school a smooth one and they are also ones that I often recommend to Kindergarten parents early in the year. And I’m hoping and praying that a smooth transition into Kindergarten means he’ll continue to have a great year!