Transitions
Typically we think of the end of the school year as a time to wind down and think about our summer plans. It is also, however, the beginning of the transition from the current year to the next. For many students, this will mean transitioning to a new school, whether because they are graduating to the next school level, entering a different program, or moving. Planning before school ends (and throughout the summer) sets a positive tone for the transition and equips both adults and students.
Transition to Kindergarten
A great deal of variability exists in developmental and skill levels within young children. This is normal, and many children will not have developed to the level of others at the same age. Nevertheless, parents can help their children develop the skills they will need to be ready for school. The following list is a collection of activities that parents can do with their children to increase their child’s general readiness for school:
- Read books to and with your child.
- Spend time with your child, including playing,
- cuddling, and hugging.
- Create and enforce a routine within your home that your child needs to follow (i.e., times of meals, naptimes, and bedtimes).
- Take time to talk to your child.
- Encourage and answer questions from your child.
- Engage in informal reading and counting activities at home.
- Promote your child’s cognitive development by showing and encouraging your child to think about the world around them.
- Promote play that helps develop literacy skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, and imagination.
- Familiarize children with the alphabet and with numbers.
- Ensure opportunity to develop social skills through playgroups or more formal preschool activities.
- Encourage behaviors that demonstrate respect and courtesy.
- Encourage children to accept responsibility and build competence through simple chores such as putting toys away and picking up clothes.
Recognition and Response has an online tool kit for parents with additional ideas tool to help you kindergarten student prepare for their first day.
Perspectives on Kindergarten: The Transition to Elementary School: From Stanford University, this blog highlights strategies to help students prepare for kindergarten, but also included are tips for elementary transitions. The article will certainly answer many questions about your child’s early education development.
Transition to Elementary
Transitioning to Elementary School: Tips and Strategies for Students with Disabilities: MyChildWithoutLimits.org highlights some great transition strategies to help your student succeed in elementary school.
Preparing Your Child for Elementary School: OneToughJob.org produced this blog that offers some quick tips for helping your child transition into elementary school.
Transitions to School: What Helps Children Succeed?: This post from the American Psychological Association features three strategies that can help students succeed in early learning programs, from PreK or elementary school. One of the most suggestions is building strong family-school partnerships, and the post offers ideas for accomplishing that.
Transition to Middle School
Transitions can be difficult for everyone, but for young people one of the most difficult transitions is the one from elementary to middle school. At the same time that young adolescents are adapting to hormonally induced physical, emotional, and cognitive changes, they suddenly enter new educational environments that are typically less nurturing, larger, more departmentalized (e.g., going from one classroom to another), more competitive, and more demanding academically. Middle school students are
generally expected to be more independent and responsible for their own assignments as well as other commitments.
Transition to Middle School from the NEA: Retired teacher Peter Lorain wrote this for the National Education Association, offering ideas for schools that can help elementary school students transition successfully into middle school. Lorain also provides strategies that involve all stakeholders in the transition process.
The Elementary to Middle School Transition -- Five Helpful Hints for Parents: These tips from the Association for Middle Level Education are basic, yet extremely practical, offering parents quick and simple strategies for helping elementary students start middle school off on the right foot.
Transition to High School
Middle School and High School Transitions -- Parent Resource Guide: This is a valuable guide for parents from Slyvan Learning that's available for download. It features different strategies for dealing with transition realities -- like new social opportunities and new academic challenges. Also included are several discussion questions parents and teenagers can talk through when preparing for middle school and high school.
Ensuring Successful Transitions from the Middle Grades to High School: Ad Lit produced this blog, which features expert recommendations and examples of what a successful transition program might look like. There is great information here for parents, administrators, and educators.
Transition to College
Transition to College -- How You Can Help Your High School Senior: CollegeParents.org produced this blog, featuring some helpful tips and food for thought for parents of high school seniors. It’s a great starting point for parents, and these plenty here to help students start their post-secondary educations off right.
High School to College Transition -- Three-Part Series: This Huffington Post series from Brian Harke, Dean of Students at the University of Southern California, is a great premier for parents of incoming college freshmen. First, Harke covers how to put some realistic expectations in place, and he also touches on academics and social challenges.
Resources taken from The National Associlation of School Psychologists, Recognition & Response, and Edutopia