Adjusting to full day kindergarten

[susykt4]

DD6 just started first grade. She had close to the same Kindergarten schedule as your son. She took several weeks to adjust and adapt to eating lunch at school, riding the bus, long days, etc.

At Meet the Teacher night (couple weeks after school started) her Kindergarten teacher commented to the parents about naptime. It was supposed to be a 15-20 minute break after lunch for the kids to have some quiet time laying down. She said some kids could barely handle lying still for that long and some immediately fell asleep and she'd allow them to sleep a while when everyone else got back to work. After several more weeks all the kids had adjusted to naptime.

Strangely, the biggest transition was for DS2 1/2 at the time. He absolutely freaked out that big sis got to go off to school on a big bus every day. He missed her terribly and was still acting awful long after DD had adjusted to kindergarten. He actually adjusted better to starting fulltime daycare when I returned to work in January than he did to his sister starting all-day school!

 

[mom2my3kids]

He will get used to it, I was worried about my middle son when his was fufll day but he adjusted very well..

 

[Caleb's Mom]

Thanks for the words of encouragement everyone!!! It's good to know we're not alone. He got up very early today and the first thing he shouted from his room was, "This is the last day of school before our 3 day weekend right?"

 

[jennifer293]

We do full days here ..DD was in K last year from 7:45 - 2:45, they did not take naps or rest at all..What seemed to help her the most is that I am a parent volunteer and I substitute so I am there a lot!! So I was in her class a lot last year. Now she is in 1st grade and just knowing that I am somewhere in the building gives her comfort.

 

[momto2girls]

Hope it gets better. This is why I am against full day kindergarten and am praying they do not adapt it here in Vegas (you have a choice here between full and half day still). I just think we thrust so much upon our kids nowadays, let's not give them a year to adjust to school life, let's just throw them in full blast. I feel sorry for the kids nowadays.

Andrea

ITA! I think that full day Kindergarten is just too much for many 5 years olds. I too feel really sorry for the children today.

 

[briarberry]

I teach grade 1, our school does not have full day kindergarten so my kids are entering a full day for the first time and many of them have a hard time adjusting. If I notice a child really having difficulty I will often suggest that the parent send something from home with the child for a while. Last year I had a little girl who wore a brooch with a picture of her mom on it for at least 2 months. When she was sad I would see her touch it. One year a little boy had trouble adjusting so every morning before he left his mom in the playground she would kiss the palm of his hand and he would hold the kiss all day. A great book about separation anxiety which I read every fall is the Kissing Hand (can't recall the author). It is about a little raccoon who is nervous about school and his mom kisses his hand etc. I have had students bring their favourite stuffed animals and leave them in their backpacks but at snack time and lunch or recess they pull it out and give it a hug.
Put a little note in his lunch. Since he likely can't read too well, draw a funny pictures or something. Kids love it when they get mail in their lunch. I have seen their reactions. They usually want to show everybody. My daughter is 10 and I still send mail every once in a while especially is she is having a rough period at school.
If he continues to struggle talk to the teacher. She will be very familiar with the problem because it is very common. She will likely give him a little more TLC when he needs.
Good luck!

 

[Alex2kMommy]

You first grade teachers are soooo smart! We just met DS's teacher yesterday, and she gave me a bunch of paperwork to take home (and homework already, LOL!)

DS's homework is a poster that he can decorate with memorabilia or drawings showing what he did this summer. He's so excited! And among the paperwork for me was a note that all the children are to bring their favorite stuffed animal to school on the first day!

We saw the classroom as well, and it was all ready for the kids, including nametags at each seat. DS was pleased to see he is seated in a group with 2 kindergarten classmates, and there were 2 other kids from his K class as well. The teacher said the school staff did a wonderful job placing a well-rounded group of kids in her class. I'm not sure exactly what that means to a teacher (maybe not too many kids with behavioral issues or too many at one end or the other of reading ability?) but my boy was so happy to know he'd see familiar faces. For some reason he was CONVINCED it would be all new kids.

I just loved the opportunity to meet his teacher as well. I wasn't sure if the orientation thing was for kindergarteners only, but turns out is for all grades. LOVE IT!

 

[NotUrsula]

Just FYI, full-day K isn't a modern innovation. The first US kindergarten opened in 1873, and they were pretty much all full-day until the start of WW2. During the war teacher shortages started to be a problem, so districts started implementing half-days so that one teacher could handle twice as many students.

 

[MichelleVW]

My girls are teenagers so it's been a long time since they were in kindergarten, but I remember it well. My oldest went to an all day kindergarten that was about a 30 minute bus ride away. She left the house at 8 in the morning and got home at 4. The second day of school I said, "do you like school" and she said, "yeah, but I'm not going back, it's too long" But she went back and she did great.

My youngest was in 1/2 day and it was crazy....they were so rushed. I used to help out in the classroom and I had trouble keeping up with the work as an adult!!

The full day kindergarten class room was so much more relaxed. They were taught the same thing, but they had more time to teach them.

It was a long day but I think the pros of all day kindergarten far outweigh the cons.

 

[MATTERHORN]

My youngest was in 1/2 day and it was crazy....they were so rushed. I used to help out in the classroom and I had trouble keeping up with the work as an adult!!

The full day kindergarten class room was so much more relaxed. They were taught the same thing, but they had more time to teach them.

It was a long day but I think the pros of all day kindergarten far outweigh the cons.

I know you are trying to make the OP feel better but I had to respond!
I find it interesting that you say they don't learn as much. The last two years in a row, the only kids that have been held back in our school in K were from the full day class. Also the kids in half day consistently scored higher on testing than the full day kids. My Aunt has been a K teacher here for 19 years and this is true for more years than not.

Might not be true nationwide, but from what I've seen here, the pros of half day far outweigh the cons. Unless the parent needs full day for daycare purposes which is why a lot of parents here in Vegas want it.


Andrea

 

[MichelleVW]

I know you are trying to make the OP feel better but I had to respond!
I find it interesting that you say they don't learn as much. The last two years in a row, the only kids that have been held back in our school in K were from the full day class. Also the kids in half day consistently scored higher on testing than the full day kids. My Aunt has been a K teacher here for 19 years and this is true for more years than not.

Might not be true nationwide, but from what I've seen here, the pros of half day far outweigh the cons. Unless the parent needs full day for daycare purposes which is why a lot of parents here in Vegas want it.


Andrea

I didn't say they didn't learn as much...just that it was rushed. For example, we lived in Alaska and both girls made alphabet books with each letter representing something Alaskan. The one in full day kindergarten had a beautiful book that was colored/painted and all different kinds of pretty, and the one in 1/2 day had a book that had pictures that weren't even colored, why??? Because they didn't have the time.

The 1/2 day child didn't get to play outside except for the first and last month of school because it took the kids 15- 20 minutes to take off their snow gear in the morning and 15-20 minutes to put it back on in the afternoon so that was already about 30-40 minutes lost to snow pants, no way could they have recess in the winter!!

My oldest daughters teacher taught 1/2 day at another school and she told me how much more she enjoyed teaching full day.


I really believe full day is the way to go, but that's just my opinion.

 

[StephMK]

We have full day, I'm an at home mom & we all still love it! However, in response to OP's questions - how about making some playdates w/classmates? Does he know anyone in class already? I think the faster he gets to know the other kids, the more fun he'll have & less missing home. The Kissing Hand is a great book! Is he getting enough sleep & food?

My DD came home STARVING & I had to hand her a snack literally before I even spoke to her. We had some pretty nasty tantrums til she adjusted to following the school routines. It didn't last more than 3 weeks though & she loves school now! She starts back Tues & has been so excited!

Do you know anything about the teacher? Ask around & see what the opinion is of her. I used to think kids should just get used to whatever teaching style teacher they get. However, after having one now entering 7th grade, I plan to be much more vocal if my child gets a teacher that isn't up to par. My DD is a great student & gets along w/everyone but some of her teachers have been really poor. If he got one of those, I wouldn't hesitate to speak up. I used to ignore the rumors about teachers at our school but most of the time, they are right. We had a first grade teacher that used to shriek at the kids & use a whistle to keep them in line. Wait & see if he adjusts but if not, see if another teacher might be a better fit. Hopefully he just needs to get used to school.

 

[MATTERHORN]

I didn't say they didn't learn as much...just that it was rushed. For example, we lived in Alaska and both girls made alphabet books with each letter representing something Alaskan. The one in full day kindergarten had a beautiful book that was colored/painted and all different kinds of pretty, and the one in 1/2 day had a book that had pictures that weren't even colored, why??? Because they didn't have the time.

The 1/2 day child didn't get to play outside except for the first and last month of school because it took the kids 15- 20 minutes to take off their snow gear in the morning and 15-20 minutes to put it back on in the afternoon so that was already about 30-40 minutes lost to snow pants, no way could they have recess in the winter!!

My oldest daughters teacher taught 1/2 day at another school and she told me how much more she enjoyed teaching full day.


I really believe full day is the way to go, but that's just my opinion.

I can kinda understand with the challenges faced where you are that they would need the extra time. I would probably want that also then because it would seem as though a lot of the time is for other purposes other than learning. That isn't a factor here so I didn't really think of that.


Andrea

 

[HeatherC]

I haven't read through all the posts, so excuse me if I'm repeating something. I may be in the minority, but I think that if your gut is telling you that he is too young or the program is too much, go with your instinct and do what feels best for you.

My middle child - son - is a slow maturer. His b'day is August 23 and the cut off for Kindergarten is Sept. 1. Which means he could have gone at the age of 5. I decided he was definitely not ready and sent him instead to a 3 day a week pre-k program that was 4 hours a day. When he started in kindergarten when he turned 6 he was fine.

He now just started 2nd grade and is doing awesome. He is confident in himself and his skills and instead of struggling to keep up or catch up he is making steady progress all the time. I will never ever regret that decision.

Part of our decision to keep him out of kindergarten was that it was full day, but also the fact that since he was maturing slower than my other kids, I didn't want to push him to grow up and even more importantly I hoped that it would help him as he gets older in making better decisions. To be honest, kindergarten is not the problem....what I hear about what goes on in the middle and high schools now really concern me. I feel like because he is a little older than some of his classmates he will have the maturity to make the right choices. And...we have already seen this happening at even such a young age. For example, his teacher last year let the kids pick where they sat...but they had to make "good choices". She told us he figured out very quickly that maybe he shouldn't sit next to his best buddies all the time And he did this on his own.

I know that a lot of people just send the kids if they are 5 by the cut-off date because they now don't have to pay day care or they think the kid will feel left out or left behind when friends go. It's kind of like....well you're now 5...time to go to school. But I have to tell you...we're not always doing best by kids with this. Plus, if they continue to struggle down the road think how they feel when all their friends go on to 6,7,8th grade and they can't because the work got too hard too quick. Self esteem issues are so much stronger at this age and affect them for the rest of their lives. I think we should help kids feel confident in THEIR ability and not worry so much about what our friends/neighbors are doing.

So that's just me chirping in. I hope I didn't offend anyone. That is not my intent!!

HeatherC

 

[dana1003]

you just put a lump in my throat after reading this...i have 3 year old twins and i am dreading putting them in kindergarten. its full day also and they are very strict about splitting them up. i would like them together for at least the first year and i do think those days are too long. but what can you do, you know they have to go so maybe its just harder on us cuz we love them so much. Im also dreading the day when they think its "not cool" to kiss and hug them in front of their friends

 

[Caleb's Mom]

Wow, this thread has been helpful. Thanks everyone! I know what you mean about them being hungry. He hardly eats any of the lunch I pack him and is starving the second he walks in the door. We did read The Kissing Hand. Yesterday he said another girl was upset and crying and he tried to comfort her which I thought was sweet. It'll be a long stretch here this first month I'm guessing. Last night he was talking to his grandpa about school and tears welled up in his eyes again and he told grandpa he hated that it's so long because he misses mom and dad. (Let's see if he says that in 10 years as a hormonal teenager!)

 

[MinnieGi]

Your poor little guy. As a former first grade teacher (of kids who were going to school full day for the first time) I too know he will adjust to full day but it may take a while. Each year I always had a few kids who had difficutly with the longer day. I think food and sleep play a big role. I instituted snack time which was not a school wide thing for my class. I think young bodies need nourishment throughout the day. After snack time I would also do a quick energy boost whole body motion song or some type of game to break the school work and get the energy going.

Does your son have a snack time? My DD just started K this past week and I was so relieved when the teacher sent home a notice on the first day that K is doing snack this year. (they did not last year) The kids can also bring a water sports bottle. How her class is doing snack is every child and parent takes a turn making snack bags for the entire class (something nutritional and they gave us a list). On their appointed day they bring them in to share. The kids eat their snack while on centers so not alot of activity/instructional time lost.

 

[MichelleVW]

I haven't read through all the posts, so excuse me if I'm repeating something. I may be in the minority, but I think that if your gut is telling you that he is too young or the program is too much, go with your instinct and do what feels best for you.

My middle child - son - is a slow maturer. His b'day is August 23 and the cut off for Kindergarten is Sept. 1. Which means he could have gone at the age of 5. I decided he was definitely not ready and sent him instead to a 3 day a week pre-k program that was 4 hours a day. When he started in kindergarten when he turned 6 he was fine.


HeatherC

I totally agree with you. I really think they should be at least 5 1/2 before they start kindergarten. I would never send a 4 year old to school no matter if they made the cut off or now. Even if they do fine in school, I believe they would do better held back a year.

The states really need to standardize the cut off dates. I think those Oct-Dec cut off dates are insane....I am for full day kindergarten, but sending a 4 year old off to full day...NO WAY!!

To the OP, those comments weren't directed at you or anyone else...just my personal opinion on cut off dates!

 

[Nanu57v]

We have several children in our preschool who turn 6 during the year. They are there because their parents (and I agree) think full day Kindergarten is too much for a child who only had 2-3 half days the year prior. A lot of our older children attend preschool 3 full days or 5 half days to help the transition easier. That's an option, too. Although, my instinct is since he's already started, just to keep him in.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I really think they should be at least 5 1/2 before they start kindergarten. I would never send a 4 year old to school no matter if they made the cut off or now. Even if they do fine in school, I believe they would do better held back a year.

The states really need to standardize the cut off dates. I think those Oct-Dec cut off dates are insane....I am for full day kindergarten, but sending a 4 year old off to full day...NO WAY!!

I agree that sending a child that you feel isn't ready is a mistake, even if he meets the cutoff date.

However, my niece was a very bright, well-socialized 4yo who was ready for kindergarten, but her birthday is at the end of September. The school district required that my DB and SIL have her evaluated by a special psychologist before they would agree to place her. DB would have been happy to wait another year, but my niece was already bored in daycare and so they had her evaluated.

The psychologist agreed that she was more than ready for kindergarten, in fact was very advanced, so she began kindergarten early.

I think it's a mistake to consider only age, only physical ability, only social ability or only how well they know their ABCs and 123s. We need to take into account the whole child, and how successful we feel our child will be in that setting.

If the school district only offers full-day and you think that's too much for your child, then wait. Or if half-day is also offered and you think s/he is ready for half-days, do that. If your child is younger but more than ready, then do what you can to see if your child can go despite the age cutoff. If you aren't sure, ask questions, maybe discuss your child with the school or kindergarten teacher(s).