It’s hard to believe that it’s almost time for us to begin getting SYC ready for you and your family. We have the playgrounds to tidy up, classrooms to arrange, floors to wax, carpets to clean, and supplies to buy. Whew!
You might be thinking, “Well, WE need to get ready for school, too!” Your next thought might be, “But, how?” We’d like to share with your our all-time favorite ways to get ready for school:
1. Play!
2. Enjoy the outdoors.
3. Read a book with someone you love (or look through one on your own).
4. Play!
5. Imagine.
6. Create (with boxes, sticks, toys, scarves, buttons, anything).
7. Play!
8. Snuggle up with someone you love and tell them a story.
9. Splash in a puddle or a pool or a bathtub.
10. Play!
11. Spend time with something fuzzy or furry.
12. Build something.
13. Play!
14. Tell a joke
15. Laugh.
16. Play!
17. Explore.
18. Dig.
19. Play!
20. Make something delicious.
21. Eat something delicious
22. Play!
You get the idea…
What NOT to do to get ready for school:
1. Talk a lot about school. It’s still a LONG way off, especially in the mind of a child. Casual mentions here or there are fine, but too much talk can lead to stress.
2. Use superlatives, “You’ll have a great time! It’ll be so fun! You’ll make so many friends!” because sometimes it won’t be fun, and sometimes they might be sad or mad at school, and they might not care about making friends. And that’s ok! When you do talk about school, keep to the facts. “You’ll go to school. I’ll stay with you for a little bit. The teachers will be there to help you. Kids will be there. You can play with them if you want. There will be toys and paints and dress ups. Then I’ll come pick you up and we’ll go home.”
3. Get new school clothes – unless you want them to turn into old school clothes pretty quickly. We get messy. Often.
4. Shop for school supplies (unless you really like them… which some of us do!). The only things your child will need to bring to school are:
· An easy-to-open lunch container with a few things to eat (think snack rather than meal)
· An extra set of weather-appropriate clothes (and shoes if you have extras)
· A lovey if you want
· A bag or backpack to put it all in
Please join us at the Playgroup Clean-Up Day if you’re able to. We’d love to meet you and to have your help as we get ready for school!
..Susan Roscigno and Amy Rudawsky, SYC Co-Directors