It finally happened…I receive the kindergarten registration pack for the last of my crew. The process has officially begun for my baby (well apparently not so much a baby anymore) to head to kindergarten in the fall. The process…is a process. There are forms to be filled out, doctor’s appointments, and immunization records, and for me the trip to the dollar store for flash cards, and educational activities to make up on 
the missed learning opportunities. I must have her prepared! Which of course is easier said than done sometimes. Readiness for kindergarten is more that memorizing letters, shapes, colors and scissor cutting skills, but also about a child’s social and emotional development, and that preparation is more complex…and the part that can keep me awake at night.
The social and emotional skills children learn in those early years leading 
up to kindergarten really can contribute to determining what the kindergarten transition will be like for our young children. Will yours be a social butterfly, 
skipping happily into kindergarten, making friends with everyone along the way? Or, will they be hesitant and teary eyed, finding it difficult to engage and navigate this new environment known as kindergarten?
I would like to be able to say, that out of my 4 children most transitioned to the big new world of kindergarten relatively easy, and fairly un-traumatic for all parties involved. I would like to say that, but the truth is I got just one who’s social and emotional development seemed in par with where you would hope a kiddo to be. Now, the fact that both my boys are the spectrum already put them at a disadvantage for developing typical social and emotional skills. And as for my last, my little lady struggles with shyness and transition as well. Regardless of whether a diagnosis exists or not, that this is an issue for many families. Kids enter kindergarten with such diverse backgrounds of pre-kindergarten experience. Some children spend their early years simply at home, most of their interaction with family and siblings. Others experience an array of carefully 
orchestrated activities, like playgroups and gym time, preschool and music class…and others fit somewhere in between.
As parents and educators become more aware of the importance of a child’s emotional and social development, more and more information is becoming readily available to learn about it. The State of Pennsylvania has put more emphasis on kindergarten readiness through its Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs. For more information you can visit http://paheadstart.org/. There is also evidence that children attending an organized preschool or daycare setting can benefit from experiences that help to develop positive emotional and social skills. Feel free to visit the Community Links 
directory for local listings. But, what happens when that isn’t quite enough for your son or daughter?
My daughter stayed home with me for many years, and now participants in a local Pre-K Counts program. And since number flashcards, and letter quizzes aren’t really helping me promote her social and emotional development, I wanted to find some tools I could use at home. At http://cleverclassroomblog.blogspot.com.au/p/social-skills.html you can find a list of 25 children’s books that teach social skills! An easy peasy way of incorporating that into our nightly story time. Also, at http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/activities-promote-childs-social-emotional-development-40289.html there are a few very basic ideas to use at home to promote those skills. Then finally http://www.abilitypath.org/areas-of-development/social–emotional/supporting-social-emotional-development.html provides good information on supporting a child’s social and emotional development whether a child may have special needs or not.
Let’s face it, come late August when I send her off for the first day of school…okay, more like follow the bus, hide behind bushes, and then peer into the window…sobbing, we will most likely hit a couple of hurdles. Kindergarten is the big time and big change for the 
whole family. So my goal now is too step away a little from the colors, shapes and letters, and spend a little more time focusing on encouraging her self-confidence. I know she can do it, and with a little extra focus on those social emotional skills, and lots of extra hugs, I hope it will help her to know that she can too!!! That even if we stumble with a few tears…the smiles won’t be far behind.
