Hellobee

I seriously can’t believe I am writing this because it can’t possibly be May already! LeLe is finishing her first year of preschool and I am so happy that we made the decision to send her to the school we chose. She has flourished in classic LeLe style, with wild exuberance and joy. This is a girl who loves other people, so school was a dream come true for her.

LeLe was 2 and a half when she started school and was one of the youngest students in her class and the school in general. I was definitely worried about how she would adjust, but the reality was that she jumped right in and embraced every single aspect of school. Plain and simple, she loves it. LeLe is a very social kid and she loves interacting with both kids and adults, so having an outlet for this was a blessing for everyone. She had time to see friends, be social, play, and learn, and I had a break from the never-ending chatter. In all seriousness though, she is much more of an extrovert than me or Mr. Cereal so watching her has been so interesting for us. She has no issues going into a room of strangers and announcing her presence. I really do believe that this is partly because of her comfort with her school setting.

Learning wise, she has also excelled. My expectations were for her to be able to count forwards and backwards to 20, to know colors and shapes, and to have some concept of the alphabet. The teachers were amazing and LeLe exceeded all of my expectations and is now able to do all of the things that I was hoping for, plus she has gained so many more skills that I was not expecting. She is almost able to write her name legibly, and is getting really good at using a pencil or pen. Plus, they worked with her on using items like scissors, tweezers, measuring cups, etc. It has been so fun to watch her master something she has been working on.

I am amazed at how much her communication skills have increased. She was already an active talker, but the ability for us to have an actual back and forth conversation with her is infinitely better than before. I know this probably has a lot to do with her age, but I think it is also because her school encourages conversation. There are sections of their days that are primarily for the kids to talk with each other and the teachers. She has also become really interested in dancing and singing, which is awesome because our town has a huge number of art-based classes for young kids. They really encourage dancing and singing in her school so having a space for her to be able to do this has been so good for her. She sings all the time at home now and loves to make up new songs, and dances to go along.

The Little Teacher, always leading Little Bug Around

One of the things that has happened that I was definitely not anticipating was the growth in Little Bug too. It seems like seeing LeLe accomplish some of these new skills has translated into him learning some as well. It’s interesting to watch her try to teach him something she has learned. She is incredibly patient and really wants him to know all the things she does now. She insists that he plays “school” with her when we are at home and it mostly involves her pretending to read to him and showing him letters, colors, and numbers.

So, overall it was successful in so many ways. LeLe has truly enjoyed the experience and has learned so much. I am happy that we decided to go this route. Next year she will go three mornings a week with a new teacher, so that will be a good change for all of us. The following year, she switches to 5 days a week and that will be her pre-k transitional year. I love that the transition is slow and that she will still have plenty of time to be a kid and have fun.

How was the first year of preschool for your kid?