What to Organise and how to Prepare your Daughter for Kindergarten  

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Last Updated on January 6, 2024 by alli

If you’re about to become a first-time school mum, you’re probably experiencing a mix of emotions and have questions about what to expect.

The way I would describe how you will need to tackle the lead-up to kindergarten is like this.

You’ll have two important tasks to accomplish. They are:

1. Preparing your daughter to be ready for school (personally and academically.)
2. Organising everything that needs to be done before she starts school (from enrolment to purchasing school supplies, uniforms and more!)

So, let’s dive in and take a good look at both.

How to prepare your daughter to be ready for school

Here are my top tips to help you prepare your daughter to be ready to embrace school from the first day.

1. Talk positively about school

Start talking to her about going to “big school” and keep all the talk positive. You can tell her about fun things like all the new friends she is going to make, how much fun she’ll have playing with them, and all the new things she’ll learn. The aim is to take away any concerns she may have about school and not having you nearby. By talking about all the positives, she’ll soon start to look forward to her first day.

2. Introduce her to a bedtime and morning routine

If you’re not already doing so, it’s important to start a good bedtime routine. Your daughter will need to be rested and have a good night’s sleep to get her through 5 straight days of school. A 5-year-old child needs anywhere between 9-12 hours of sleep each night. It’s important to choose a suitable bedtime and stick to that time every night (even on weekends).

The same applies to her morning routine. It’s extremely important to live by structure and consistency because it will help your daughter thrive. If she understands there are certain tasks that she needs to do every single morning to be ready for school, then her independence will grow, and she’ll start taking ownership of getting herself ready sooner rather than later.

3. Teach her safety skills and awareness

Teach your daughter some safety skills, such as understanding stranger danger and how to cross the road safely. Yes, the school will educate her on these important issues but don’t wait or depend on the school. It’s important she has a good understanding well before she starts.

4. Teach her some personal independence

Ensuring your daughter understands when it’s time to go to the toilet and can independently use the bathroom is very important. She’ll be spending 6 straight hours at school every day, so she’ll need to know not to leave it too late to go. It’s easy for the little ones to get caught up in what they are doing and continue to hold on until it’s too late. Don’t worry too much though, it’s not unusual for kindergarten kids to have accidents now and then. After all, they are still so young. The more you practice at home the better she will be.

Other small personal tasks that will help her get through the day easier are:

• Knowing how to blow her nose properly
• Tying up her shoelaces if they come undone
• Tying her hair back up into a ponytail should she need to
• Understanding how to properly express how she is feeling to a teacher – such as if she is feeling sick, hurt, frustrated, worried or sad.

5. Teach her to model positive behaviour

By the time she starts school, your daughter should also have a good understanding of sharing, taking turns and playing nicely. She should understand what it takes to be a good and kind friend, and she should have empathy toward other children. By teaching your daughter all of these things you will be playing your part to help reduce bullying at school. Any child that takes other children’s feelings into account and shows empathy towards them will not participate in bullying behaviour.

How to prepare your daughter academically for school

1. Read to her every day.

There is a huge emphasis on reading in kindergarten and I still remember what our daughter’s school principal said to us when we attended our daughter’s orientation. She said, “I cannot stress or recommend highly enough the importance and benefits of reading to your children every night.”

By reading to your daughter regularly, she’ll gain an understanding of sounds, words and their meanings.  She’ll also learn how to concentrate and focus, and her imagination and curiosity will be stimulated.

2. Teach her the Alphabet and Numbers

Teaching her the alphabet will help her with her reading and spelling after she starts school. There is a big emphasis on reading (particularly sight words) in kindergarten.

It would also help her greatly is she can count to at least 10 and write her numbers.

Finding time to invest in all the above will go a long way to helping your little girl feel confident and prepared for her first day of school. Before that first day arrives though, there is a lot of organising and buying to do! So, let’s dig in further.

What to organise and buy BEFORE school starts (for Australian public school mums)

To make this simple, I’ve put together a FREE INSTANT DOWNLOADABLE GUIDE for you to follow. I’ve called it – “A guide to everything a first-time school mum must organise BEFORE school starts.” I hope you find it useful and helpful! At the end of the guide, you’ll find a checklist that you can print out and follow to make this super easy for you.

There is quite a bit to do, but if you start early and take it one step at a time, I know you’ll breeze through and feel “school ready” on your daughter’s first day.

Best of luck and I hope your little girl shines through Kindergarten!