It’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end of May! As the weather warms up and the end of the year approaches, we wanted to share with you how we will approach this change with children. We have begun talking about the change in seasons and children have identified things they have noticed as the weather warms up. We are reading books about summer and talking about the things that kids like to do during summer when it is warm outside.
As you probably know, we have a simple calendar on which we mark days that we do and do not have school. We use green dots to indicate days we have school and red dots for days that we don’t. On Friday, we filled in the rest of our calendar, showing kids how many school days are left and then filled in an additional page with red dots to represent how long the summer is. We will count how many green dots we have left, and with each day that kids come to school, we will cross off that day and then recount and watch that number get smaller. Many kids will know about their summer plans and we will invite them to share about that. While some will refer to family trips or summer camp, others will be more focused on simple routines and activities that they enjoy, such as eating ice cream or playing at the beach.
These discussions can give rise to a range of emotions, from excitement about beloved summer activities, to sadness about saying goodbye or concern about not knowing exactly what to expect. For many, any excitement about upcoming events can be tinged with a bit of worry. There are so many unknowns for young children and a big transition like this can be anxiety provoking. In the coming days, we will provide time to talk about what will happen and how kids are feeling. In these discussions, we will reassure children without dwelling too much on any worry or sadness about saying goodbye.
Inevitably, kids will ask about coming back to school. While some kids will be returning to Park West and others will not, we will tell kids that no one will be coming back to be in this classroom with all of the same kids and teachers next year. Some will know that there will be school again in the fall, and we will acknowledge that while emphasizing that it won’t happen for a very long time. It can be hard for children to comprehend just how long the summer is. When you’re three, a stretch of more than a month represents a pretty large percentage of your life. This is a long time for kids to live with uncertainty about the fall. We recommend that you start talking about the new school year with your child at the end of the summer, when the start of school is imminent. At this time, you might make a simple calendar with them to keep track of the days before school starts to help them anticipate when it will begin. For those who worry about a new classroom, you can remind them that before they came to this room, they didn’t know any of the teachers or the kids, but now they do. So it will be in a new classroom or school. They will come to know the people, the routines and the materials.
As we wind down the year, we will revisit familiar classroom activities that children have enjoyed this year. We will discuss what we remember and sing familiar songs at grouptime. During the last week, we will pare down the toys that are out in preparation for summer. We will talk about the toys being put away until next year and will invite children to wash toys in the water table. These preparations help children to be active participants in the upcoming changes and provide opportunities for discussion about them.
It's always interesting to hear the variety of things kids remember about this school year. As much as we look forward to seeing how each child approaches this transition, we, too, have mixed emotions. We are so grateful to have had this time with your children at school. We are thrilled to have witnessed their tremendous growth and are excited for their next steps, but also sad to see them go. We wish all of you well and hope you have many wonderful experiences this summer. Whether you are coming back to us in the fall or moving on to a new place, we look forward to seeing you again in the future and wish you and your families well.