The movement from preschool to primary school can be a significant time in a young child’s learning journey. While it indicates growth and a growing independence, and signifies yet another new ‘beginning’ to their learning, it can also indicate a time of anxiety and fear for the children and significant adults (parent, guardian or caregiver) in their life.  When we understand all the issues involved in the transition, we can help prepare and support and assist and develop both the school readiness, as well as a settling-in plan with the teacher, which can also be supported if needed when at home. 

This guide identifies the issues, strategies and practical ideas that can assist children to more easily settle in or transition from preschool to primary school.  The plan is to help parents and teachers make this new educational ‘phase’ a valued experience for every child learner by providing school readiness, emotional support and strong connections with their new education space. 

Why Transitioning from Preschool to Primary School is an Important Event

Transitioning from preschool to primary school means that a child is ‘ready’ for more formalised academic approaches to their learning over longer periods of time and increased independence.  There are often celebrations or graduation ceremonies held towards the end of the school year in recognition of children moving to primary school (examples of graduation ideas).  The anticipation of graduating can serve to further excite children for the change of preschool to primary school, and can serve to then promote more anxiety and stress for children in adjusting to a ‘new teacher’ ‘new daily classmates’ and needing to re-establish ‘routines and friendships’.

Challenges for Children

Children may feel anxious due to the new environment, schedule, and higher expectations, which impacts and exacerbates the experience. Some children may struggle to leave the comfortable preschool environment, while others may feel stressed and socially overwhelmed. This is where the transition support for children does its magic. 

Emotional and Social Learning

Though the change from preschool to primary school is a change from early childhood to school based learning there are other factors that facilitate the overall success of this transition. The emotional health of the child, a social community, and agency in preschool and primary school; is equally as important. Emotional health and well-being can facilitate many facets of children’s learning and contribute to making a successful transition to a primary school and that the child connection to a new educational community. 

Understanding Child’s School Readiness

Readiness for School in Children

A child’s readiness for school represents the collection of skills, behaviors, and attitudes that help a child participate in a classroom environment. It includes children’s learning skills as well as any additional skills including self-regulation, confidence, and social skills.

Four Key Areas of Readiness:

1. Cognitive Development: Basic problem-solving, memory and curiosity.

2. Language and Communication: Sharing needs, following directions, and engaging in conversation.

3. Social Skills: Sharing, cooperating, and making friends.

4. Emotional Readiness: Coping with separation anxiety and changes. 

5. Independent: Uses the bathroom, eats independently, and manages their belongings.Because parents and educators are preparing these aspects of readiness to facilitate the transition from pre-school to school, it shouldn’t feel overwhelming. 

Related Topic: Fun Parent Activities That Help More Kids Join Preschool

Some Suggestions to Help the Children Transition Out of Preschool: 

Celebrate ceremonially 

A preschool graduation is not at all what we envision a graduation would typically look like in caps and gowns. It is a celebration that allows children to emotionally prepare for what is to come. It’s a way for parents to use preschool graduation as a way to talk about a positive beginning, excitement vs fear.  

Celebrate successes 

Children can often be a good barometer in reflecting on their favorite preschool stories/memories. They can actually recount and feel validated in their accomplishments as individuals (big to small). A parents small scrapbook or collage of preschool accomplishments to have on hand in their classroom would also help with closure in the transition into post preschool years. 

Routines are valuable 

While children are having family celebrations they still have routines to use to feel ok. Routines allow children to have something familiar to lean on to feel secure, they create a buffer, for all the excitement and change. If parents can support that balance of celebrating with a routine the transition should not feel abrupt. 

Transitioning Kids: Emotionally

Acknowledge feelings 

Children are going to feel excited one minute and fearful in the next. Parents should be open to hearing the children, validate their feelings, and talking to them as a way of reassurance. 

Try New Experiences

It is not hard to do some basic role-play scenarios where you role-play how to say hello to a new teacher and/or role play for a couple of minutes sitting at a primary school desk to now let the children think (or visualize) what it might be like at primary school; once again, this could help relieve some of the tensions children have, especially regarding new experiences and even some of the issues children may face on the first day of school.

Encouragement Statements 

Creating an affirmative atmosphere with encouragement statements like “You are ready for this adventure”…. or something comparable can invoke a feeling of readiness and self-efficacy. Encouragement statements and a growth mindset reinforce for children that we are ready for success, and smaller and manageable extent of “failure”. 

Practical Strategies Towards Child Adaptation 

Familiarization with New School

By far, the best strategy for least uncertainty is to access the new school building, playground, and/or classroom setting prior to the first day. If possible arrange a visit with the children’s teachers and/or staff to lower anxiety and establish familiarity. 

Establish Routines

Children become so accustomed to their preschool routines, it can be beneficial to establish a morning routine that children will follow once they are in school. Routines may include a series of wake, get dressed, eat breakfast, and departure times which support the need for predictability.

Encouraging Independence 

Letting your children feel increasingly independent at home, while also tasking them with grade-appropriate tasks (such as preparing and loading their school bag or selecting a quick/healthy snack) will lead them to feel increasingly comfortable and confident.These strategies for adjusting will generate a sense of confidence for children in this new place of school.

Related Topic: 5 Must-know Tips To Make Your Child School-ready

Getting Children Ready for School from Home 

Why Change is Important?

Change is a critical step for children to maintain a trajectory of development. Education change for kids means that there were not two separate expectations from teachers and schools are on the same educational paradigm as well. 

School and Family Communication 

Preschools can record children’s development milestones, personal strengths, best learning styles and behavioral notes to share with primary teachers. Open communication for families with each school can foster connections for children’s connection in their development. 

Continuous Curriculum Connection 

This all wraps into a continuous curriculum connection from school to school because both schools use the same language and approach of either educator. This lessens confusion for children and creates a more progressive zone of development.

Role of the Teacher in the Change

Preschool Teachers 

Preschool teachers are vigilant to prep and craft children to be more independent, designed children into early-degree socialization and academic early concepts where appropriate for the age. 

Primary Teacher

Palmly, welcoming children into school, are the key role of primary teachers. Noting how children come from preschool which may adopt very different philosophies and an eclectic curricular practice to prep children to the appropriate levels. 

Team Engagement

Both preschool and primary teachers engaged collaboratively to direct deliver the directed instruction delivery can deepen that develop in each classroom.Families may also temporarily relieve the anxiety of entering a new school with the soutien parental développe indéfiniment. Go on with educators at both preschool and primary levels.

Parental Support and Your Child’s Initial Optimization 

Parents should lead with incredulity and come after academics. Take stance of to be a ‘guide and cheerleader’, as the Parent, drop in with the child and encourage curiosity and a little text reminder to about preschool, and feel scale building as an new experience in childhood, educational exploration. Can encourage enthusiasm, that shows children school, is a children’s safe place for fun into learning, EA.

Routine Consistency at Home.

Back home. their you begin to (practice routine consistency,’ while ti develop new routines for eating meals, sleeping, or practicing new routine that will learning school learning time for children are ‘minimizing’ back home, while develop the practice is important, child show as potential to being successful. All children do better with consistency in routine. 

The Key:No Pressure. 

It is important to have some form of a responsive practice or prep, before deep practice, with some prep, responsive parental support to the new experience practice to feel for each individual child, a safe when they learning neuro pathways, can seek as strong children,. with families optimizing bd in their way best. The Primary positive goal to focus in, to take stock pre would be they are inviting and repeat, both activities and innovating relationally front of them essentially as a coworker,and that reflectively, pt, children discovering what they are acting from their preschool education. 

Related Topic: What Makes a Preschool Classroom Truly Supportive for Children?

Common Obstacles and Strategies when Transitioning with Education with Child. 

Obstacles – Strategies 

Exchange anxiety -Start with short separation practice before preschool begins, worked on routine practice  and providing helpful reassurance. Parent Expectation to Develop Goals

Instead, focus more on child playful methods to learn new concepts about academic learning, considering that children are children first, and this should not include learning new academic knowledge to rote learning. 

Social Adjustment

Invite other parents to engage in playdates or have group play games, or even let group practice experience and team together engagement, shared sometimes during art, or running, etc.

Surround yourself with an environment until the child goes to school. Go visit the space of the child’s school to get audience, and briefly meet the school as a family, or in a functioning part of school, to learn what school may possibly become.

To Foster a Long-term Resilience

Keeping a child well nurtured from preschool to develop primary child educational development is more than preschool to the first day of school. Practicing patience, or empathy, and developing developmentally consistent thought outside to be the role models for educators, using images (pictures) and laughter to encourage growth (for) a long term or resilient for educational level to experience for some level of resilience.

Conclusion

Transitioning from preschool to primary education is a rite of educational transition, to assist with the many emotions enroute and experience with excitement of possible challenges they will gain. Putting together a ‘child-school readiness’ step to settle and address ‘celebrate milestones’, or celebrate ‘the transitioning milestones the journey of inception (celebrated preschool graduation with the books )’, or create consistency with family practices of transitioning experience for kids to have with the family transition in the responsibility.

Although still, the parent also has concern for concern of their children’s emotions -physiologically, to not progress their children’s next progression of ability. The ideas of creative practice for emerging and childish emerging educational continuity for kids shows many children have courage. Change was an opportunity to show the educators the children gained resilience, those children gained independence, and those children had love for learning in the process for some level of self efficacy, not just changing classes.