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Kindergarten is a key stage in your child's education and development. His or her kindergarten years will be marked by several transitions, some more important than others. These transitions can be stressful for the child, and very often for the parents! It is important to prepare for these transitions so that you can help your child through them with calm and confidence. They need you!

Tips for preparing for kindergarten

• Talk about school with your family, read books about it, tell them about your (good!) memories of school.

• If your child has always been looked after by you, start separating from him/her for shorter or longer periods of time. Trust your child and his or her ability to learn to cope with these separations, which will be beneficial for both you and your child.

• Involve them in the preparation of their first day of school (buying slippers, choosing their outfit).

Atécole M we are holding an open day in June. Your child will be able to see his or her classroom and spend some time there, meeting some of his or her classmates and teachers. On this day, we will give your child a small booklet with photos of the school and its teachers. Please take the time to look at it with your child during the summer, to prepare for this first day of school.

Transitions between each year of kindergarten

At the end of June, we announce to the children and parents the composition of the classes for the next school year. This way, there are no surprises and the child goes on holiday knowing who his or her classmates and teachers will be when the new school year starts. Take the time to discuss this with your child. There are advantages to both options, so discuss them with your child. Listen to their reservations if they have any, and answer their questions. We are also there to accompany this transition which, although more fluid and simple, remains a change that must be explained and prepared with the child.

Preparing to enter the first grade

Your child is growing up, and the next school year will be primary schools. This is an important and exciting step, and one that should be accompanied by the right support to avoid it being too stressful:

• Before thinking about integration into CP, it is important to accompany the last weeks of kindergarten. The school will organise meetings to celebrate the achievement of this first stage in your child's education, so try to be present at these moments.

• Highlight all that the child has done and learnt during the kindergarten years. You can look at his binders or photos from these three years and talk about how far he has come. This will give them the confidence to take on the next stage.

• If possible, visit the primary schools where your child will be attending.

• Find out if any of their classmates will be in their school or class. If not, reassure them that they will still be able to keep in touch with their friends (weekend visits, birthdays, etc.).

Arriving or leaving during kindergarten or the year

It can happen that, due to a move or other reasons, a child changes school between two years of kindergarten, or even during the year. If accompanied, the child can cope with these changes very well:

• Take the time to explain clearly and simply to the child that he/she is going to change schools, a few weeks before the departure.

• Accept his sadness if he feels it, and reassure him that, just as he was able to feel good in his current school, he will be able to feel good in his new school.

• Arrange a visit to the new school before the first day of school if possible.

• Also take time to mark their departure from their current school, saying goodbye to their classmates and teachers.

In school as in life, your child will go through many transitions between the ages of 2 and 6. As you will have noticed, the same advice comes up each time. Reassure your child. They may be sad to leave the situation and the people they know and love, and they may be afraid of the unknown, which is normal. Listen to your child and let him/her express his/her feelings, without seeking them out if your child does not feel them. It is the adult's role to talk to them, to explain what is happening so that they can approach these changes with a little stress perhaps, but above all with confidence and excitement!

Paula Buswell