1. Getting to know your kindergartener
Immaculate Heart of Mary School
Jodi Turpening MA, LPCC-S

2. Personal Growth
Children entering kindergarten tend to be fairly active and spend a great deal of their time and energy finding themselves. Adventure and exploration gives them a broader sense of self. Kindergarteners tend to aim high as they set out to do things for themselves. This may lead to frustration if they do not master what they have set out to do.
Gender differences become more solidified and gender stereotypes tend to be introduced
Both boys and girls want to be active and imaginative
Increase independence
Increased need to feel like they are useful and competent, which then increases a child’s self esteem
Ability to understand why they should be kind, honest, obedient and polite
Gender difference-you will see this play out in friendships and possibly even peer comments to one another (girls don’t play football, etc.
Being active and imaginative are ways that kindergarteners find themselves, so encourage dress up, encourage exploring different toys, etc.
Independence is great, but also frustrating. A kindergartener wants to tie their own shoes but it takes them a long time,
To build one’s self esteem a kindergartener needs to show they can do something, they need that opportunity and then the praise when they accomplish things
Though a kindergartener understand rules and wants to abide by them, they still struggle to always remember and need lots of reminding.

3. Cognitive Development
Between the ages of 3 and 6 a child’s cognitive growth explodes.
Increased ability to think of multiple solutions to a problem and begin to pair the solution with consequences
Use words to argue and try to reason with people, due to their increase in language development
Increase in ability to sustain a focused conversation
Follow simple multi-step directions

4. Social and Emotional Changes
During the kindergarten school year, children’s social and emotional development tends to go beyond making friends and expressing feelings. They start understanding more complicated things like right and wrong. Many 5-year-olds are also likely to do these things:
Have an interest in behaving like their friends, wanting their approval and begins to notice the benefits of getting along with others
Begin to prefer same-gender friendships; become jealous of other people spending time with “their” friends
Follow the rules most of the time; may criticize kids who don’t follow the rules
Enjoy being on display; will sing, dance or be silly to get attention
Want your approval and to be taken seriously; may throw a tantrum or get angry if they thinks they’re not being listened to
Begin to control strong emotional responses
Behaving like friends-this sometimes becomes a struggle if friends are having a negative impact on one another. Assist your child in understanding the negative choice and possible consequences in an individual way. Remind yourself that the pressures and pleasures of your child experiencing friendships is their way in figuring out who they are and how they fit in.

5. How to support your Kindergartener
Plan play dates to encourage friendships and free play. Monitor these play dates, due to conflict over rules and coach social skills
Be honest and age appropriate about certain decisions and consequences to assist your child in beginning to understand how to better problem solve
Set family routines and rituals to reduce uncertainty and increase reassurance that a child experiences
Teach empathy-”How would you feel if….”; “When you did that, how do you think your friend felt?”
Read, talk and explore with your child
Give them responsibilities: learn to fold laundry, clear and wipe dishes, sort and put away clean dishes, pick up and sort toys
Chose your battles and be patient
Reserve the word “no” for things that negatively affect the safety or well being of your child and others
Teach through discipline and provide that discipline through an authoritative parenting style
Model, practice and rehearse social situations, manners, problem solving
authoritative parenting style: exercise control over their children’s behaviors, but they do it with flexibility, reason, explanations, and allow for independence; allow for give and take, but their children know that important issues the parent is the boss.

6. Resources
Ages and Stages by Dr. Charles E. Schaefer and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo
Love and Logic-Loveandlogic.com
Dan Siegel: No-Drama Discipline, Whole Brain Child, Parenting from the Inside Out