I was extremely apprehensive about my daughter starting kindergarten this fall. For one, she’s my oldest so there was a bit of a “letting go” struggle on my part. Additionally, she turned 5 at the end of August (in our state, the cutoff is September 1). So she is the youngest in her class. And in this day and age where “redshirting” is so common, I couldn’t help but wonder if I should be keeping her home until she was 6.
But she (and we) have adjusted quite well. She comes home happy and energized (this was surprising for me, I was sure she’d be exhausted). When I ask her about the best part of her day, she sometimes says “I don’t know mama, kindergarten is so much fun my whole day was the best part!” (which is awesome to hear). She is learning A TON. She went to preschool for 2 years so she knows letters, sounds, and basic sight words – but she’s so proud of how she’s learning to make her letters the right way, the difference between “I am” and “Am I” as well as learning French.
She takes the bus (that was another huge area of worry for me). But somehow, she manages to get to school and back just fine and LOVES that as well. As a child, I remember loving the bus ride too – so it’s no wonder.
I just hope she continues to love learning. I’ve noticed at the bus stop, the kindergarten and first graders are the most excited to go. Once the kids hit around 2nd and 3rd grade – they seem to not enjoy it as much (no doubt because there is a little less playtime). Our state is a common core state – so there is definitely more structure than I would like for a 5 year old, but somehow the school has managed to make it fun.
So I’m thrilled S loves it. And I hope her love of learning never fades!
wish you more 