Experts Advise Early Preparation to Ease Children’s Transition to Municipal Kindergarten
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Ahead of the school year, experts advise parents to start preparing children during summer for the transition to municipal kindergarten by establishing routines and independence skills. A consistent goodbye ritual on the first day helps ease separation anxiety, while acknowledging children's emotions is crucial. Normal adjustment behaviors should be met with patience and trust, ensuring children adapt confidently to their new environment.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Early preparation during summer helps children adjust smoothly to municipal kindergarten.
- Parents should create balanced daily routines including movement, quiet time, and independence practice.
- A consistent, brief goodbye ritual reduces separation anxiety on the first kindergarten day.
- Acknowledging children's emotions during separation is important for their emotional security.
- Temporary adjustment difficulties like crying and clinginess are normal and usually resolve with time.
- Maintaining trust, routine, and cooperation with staff supports successful adaptation.
As the new school year approaches, many parents face the challenge of transitioning their children from daycare to municipal kindergartens. Kati Goverman-Shuv, an early childhood pedagogical supervisor at WIZO, emphasizes that the adjustment process begins well before the first day of kindergarten, ideally during the summer months.
Goverman-Shuv explains that children need certainty and predictability to feel secure. She recommends parents plan weekly schedules calmly without overloading their children with activities, balancing movement, quiet time, independence practice, and focused parent-child interaction daily. These routines help build the child’s confidence and prepare them for the increased independence expected in kindergarten.
To avoid difficult separation scenes on the first day, she advises establishing a consistent, brief goodbye ritual involving a hug, kiss, and a reassuring phrase. Parents should acknowledge their child’s emotions without dismissing them and avoid disappearing without saying goodbye or prolonging farewells unnecessarily. She stresses the importance of honesty about when parents will return.
During the initial adjustment period, children may exhibit crying, clinginess, fatigue, or temporary regression, which are normal responses to change. Goverman-Shuv encourages parents to maintain trust, routine, and cooperation with kindergarten staff, assuring that most children adapt with time and consistency.
Ultimately, she highlights that the greatest gift parents can give is confidence in their child’s abilities, rather than perfection or constant activities. With proper preparation, patience, and trust, children will enter kindergarten feeling more secure, and parents will have provided a strong foundation for their new beginning.
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