The summer before kindergarten: getting ready

• You do not need to turn summer into school. A few familiar routines, small chances to do things independently, shared stories, and a low-pressure look at the campus can help the transition feel more predictable.
• Start with what your family already does. Practice one or two parts of the school morning and build from there.
• If the first day feels big, explain the plan simply and coordinate the goodbye with the school.

What is worth practicing over summer?

Keep the goal modest: help your child recognize parts of the day and try manageable tasks, with support. The Los Angeles County Office of Education’s transition framework treats kindergarten transition as shared work among children, families, early learning programs, and schools. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) also notes that children enter with a wide range of skills; its family guide to starting kindergarten suggests routines, reading aloud, and meaningful literacy in everyday life.

Choose a few routines that fit your household: getting dressed, putting shoes or a bag in one place, washing hands, opening a lunch container, or telling an adult when help is needed. Let your child try first, then help with the hard part. Independence means having a chance to participate, not doing every task perfectly or without help.

For morning and bedtime, make one familiar sequence visible or say it aloud: wake up, get dressed, eat, gather belongings. You can practice the sequence during ordinary days without shifting the whole summer schedule. NAEYC describes predictable routines as a useful bridge into school, while allowing routines to work for the child and family.

Should we work on reading before kindergarten?

Read together for connection and conversation, not to test or drill. Let your child choose a book, tell parts of a familiar story, ask questions, or point out something in a picture. Reading in a home language is welcome; the point is shared language and enjoyment.

For ideas you can adapt, see NAEYC’s family literacy guidance. You could make a shopping list together, notice signs on a walk, sing, draw, or tell a story. Pick what fits your day; there is no need to turn summer into a workbook plan.

If your child is not interested, keep it brief and try again another time. A favorite book repeated often, a library visit, or a story in your family’s language can be enough for that moment. For more on readiness as a broad set of developing skills, see what kindergarten readiness actually looks like.

How can we make school feel less unfamiliar?

Ask the school whether families can see the campus, classroom, or arrival area before the first day. If a visit is not available, you could walk or drive by, talk through the route, or look at any school-provided photos. Do not promise details you have not confirmed; tell your child what you know and what you will ask.

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry shares Starting School guidance, and the American Academy of Pediatrics offers back-to-school tips. Use these as prompts for a conversation with the school: what will your child see, who will greet them, where do belongings go, and how does drop-off work?

Keep the explanation concrete: “We’ll go in together, find your teacher, and then I’ll say goodbye.” If the plan is not confirmed, say so. For a school visit or assessment, talking to your child about school visits has more language for a low-pressure conversation.

What helps with first-day nerves?

Make room for nerves as a feeling, rather than treating them as a problem to hide. You can say, “It makes sense to feel unsure. We’ll find out what the day is like together.” Keep your own explanation steady and honest, and make a brief goodbye plan with the school.

For another perspective, read the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry’s Starting School guidance and this Associated Press report on separation anxiety. The report includes an individual parent’s experience and a psychologist’s perspective; treat them as ideas, not a promise that one approach works for every child.

Parents’ accounts, anecdotal: In the Associated Press story, one parent described involving his child in choosing clothes and packing lunch as the transition approached. That family’s experience can prompt ideas, but it does not predict your child’s response. Choose a small preparation task your child enjoys, or skip it if it adds pressure.

Expert and professional guidance: The Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Birth to Kindergarten Transition Systems Alignment Framework frames transition as a partnership between families, early educators, and schools. Head Start’s transition practices likewise emphasize connections among children, families, programs, and schools. Ask the school how it handles arrival and what it wants families to do if a child is upset.

What should we do next?

Pick one small thing to try this week: practice a morning sequence, let your child manage one part of getting ready, read together, or contact the school about a visit and arrival plan. Keep what helps and let the rest go. Your child does not need a perfect summer to begin kindergarten.

Reviewed November 2026. Parent material is anecdotal; professional guidance is labeled by source and scope.