Guide to starting kindergarten

Starting kindergarten is an important stage not only in the life of a child, but also in the life of parents. It can bring up many emotions and concerns, from the question of mum or dad's own emotional readiness to how to deal with difficult situations that may arise in the process.

You may wonder whether you yourself will be emotionally ready for this change. You may be looking forward to returning to work, but you may be worried about whether you will be able to manage your emotions. How can you take care of yourself so that you don't cause extra stress to your child who is going through a big change of his/her own?

Being emotionally prepared also means being practically prepared. How to organise your daily life, from logistics to time management? How to cope with societal pressure not to send your child to kindergarten before the age of 3, when you feel you are all ready and want to go back to work?

It would be a mistake to think that these are just your concerns. Parents often ask me: Will the kindergarten environment meet my expectations? What to do with complaints from the kindergarten about my child's behaviour? How do I deal with the anxiety if my child is sad and doesn't want to go to kindergarten? What does a successful adaptation process look like for a child in kindergarten?

Parents may feel conflicting feelings and tensions at this time - wanting to do everything "by the book", but having doubts and fears. How to be supportive to your child when you are overwhelmed by doubt and anxiety? How to ensure that the child feels safe and comfortable despite the parent's tense emotions?

In this video course, I've put together practical tips and solutions to help you gently and as calmly as possible through the start of kindergarten. My aim is to help parents feel more prepared and confident at this important stage of life, giving peace of mind to both themselves and their child.

The course consists of three modules.

Module 1: Preparing for the start of kindergarten

In this module you will learn how to prepare emotionally and practically for starting kindergarten. Through practical exercises, this module will help you to gain peace of mind and clarity about both the need to start kindergarten and how to choose a kindergarten. You will also find out the possible reasons for your worries and where to find support to help you reduce them.

Module 2: Peaceful adaptation to kindergarten

This module is dedicated to how to promote a child's peaceful adaptation to kindergarten. We will talk about how to recognise your child's emotions, understand, whether they are related to transition or other discomfort. Here are practical tips on how to create a trusting environment that can help your child feel safe and comfortable.

Module 3: Solutions to challenges in kindergarten

Here I look at real situations you might face during your time in kindergarten. We will talk about complaints and how to respond to them. How to distinguish whether a child is just adapting or whether there are real problems? You will learn what to do if you have to change kindergarten and how to deal with other complexities that might arise in the process.

The course consists of 18 short videos and 10 worksheets to accompany the videos. Below you can see the topics of the video lectures. The course will be available to view/listen to on your profile for 90 days after purchase.