Encourage teamwork between you, your students' parents and the kindergarten teachers of the local schools your students will attend the following year. Invite everyone to an open house in late spring. Try to arrange to invite a few of the local kindergarten teachers to speak to the parents of your pre-K class. Have a question and answer session where parents can voice their concerns and prepare for their child's transition. Have a packet prepared with school readiness information that parents can refer to as needed. Consider inviting parents of your previous Pre-K classes to speak about their children's transitions to kindergarten.
Self-care skills are of utmost importance for young children transitioning to kindergarten. School is more demanding than ever, with so much to pack into a small amount of time each day. Practice your daily routine with your students. Make sure they can take their coats off and put them on. Make sure they can put their shoes on, wipe their noses, hang up their belongings and recognize the alphabet and their names. Remind children constantly of the importance of washing their hands after using the toilet and before eating. Hang visuals to remind students to wash their hands, hang up their coats and put their things in their cubbies. Throughout the year, most students will not need as many verbal reminders. Encourage students to try zipping, buttoning and snapping their own clothes. Increase responsibilities through classroom jobs throughout the school year.
Encourage teamwork among your preschoolers early on in the school year. Divide them into pairs and periodically switch your students around. Have them do short, organized projects together. This assists preschool children with sharing, working with new people, overcoming shyness, and problem solving and organization skills. These are all necessary skills to have when transitioning to kindergarten. During the second half of the school year, try assigning projects within groups of three or four. Allow children to work out any problems within their group unless it is necessary to intervene.
Begin by reading your pre-K students books about going to kindergarten. Discuss new routines, new friends and new teachers. Talk about change and invite the children to problem solve any issues they think might arise next year. Discuss any feelings the children may be having. Invite the children to discuss these feelings with you if they are not comfortable doing so in circle time. Lastly, if you are able, arrange to visit a local kindergarten classroom. Try to arrange the visit so your students can participate in a planned activity rather than just observing. It would be an added bonus if you are able to take a bus ride to the school, reminding the children of school bus rules and procedures.