Transitions: 5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten

EMAIL 1

Copy/Paste the email below.

Subject Line: 5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten

Parents,

Our role as the Church is to help support you spiritually, but another part of our role is to help emotionally, physically, and mentally. As the transition to Kindergarten soon approaches, we know you have lots on your mind. What school will they attend? Will they be okay? Will I be okay? 

To help bring a little comfort, we have a brief video for you on 5 ways you can prepare your child for the transition. These quick tips offer some direction and, most likely, will inspire even more ideas!

To view the video, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/565927258/62a96fe4ee

It is my privilege to join alongside you on this parenting journey. If you need anything or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

[INSERT SIGNATURE HERE]

EMAIL 2

Copy/Paste the email below.

Subject Line: How to Help Your Preschooler Get Ready for Kindergarten

Dear Parents,

The day is soon approaching where you will take your little one for the first day of Kindergarten, a transition that marks the beginning of an adventure. As excited or afraid as they may be, they know they have someone there to support them. Well, we like to think of ourselves as your support team, and one of those ways we do so is with a quick video: 5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten. From ideas on bedtime to building confidence, you can find inspiration and courage in less than five minutes!

To view the video, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/565927258/62a96fe4ee

Thank you for the opportunity to partner with your family. Please contact me if you need anything.

[INSERT SIGNATURE HERE]

VIDEO

SOCIAL MEDIA SWAG

Parents, we have a new video for you! In less than five minutes, we give you quick and easy tips to help your son and daughter transition into one of the greatest adventures: Kindergarten! Check your inbox for more!

*5 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten* From bedtime routine to building confidence, this quick video will inspire you. Check your inbox for more information!

These ideas are just a few of the quick tips we have for parents. If you have a preschooler, we have the perfect video for you! Check your inbox for more.

 It’s not long before you take your son or daughter to their first day of school. To help ease your transition, we have a quick parent video that gives you 5 easy tips! Check your inbox for more information!

VIDEO SCRIPT

The time is coming. Your baby is heading off to Kindergarten. It’s hard to believe it seems just like yesterday you were bringing them home from the hospital, and this brand new baby entered your life. And now, just a few years later, they’re about to head off to one of the biggest adventures they’ve been through yet. And as exciting as that is, it can also be a little scary. In today’s video, we give you five tips to help you and your little one transition from preschooler to kindergartener.

The first is to plan a kindergarten visit. One of the gifts you can give your son or daughter is a visual of what is to come, and it’s a gift to yourself as well. If the school allows, ask for a visit to the library, cafeteria, classroom, and more. This tour gives your child a glimpse into a more relaxed, less-intense environment where they can observe without the extra pressure. These interactions can ease the tension and allow it to be a lot more smooth on the first day. 

The second is to establish the new “school” bedtime routine before school starts. When your son or daughter starts Kindergarten, they will need a consistent schedule to help them get ready for the big day. Decide the best routine for them and set it up at least a week before the big day, so they are prepared. For a little arts and crafts time, together write and draw out the schedule on the poster with lots of stickers and glitter. Hang the schedule near the bedtime area, so they can see it at any time.

The third is to prepare your son or daughter for time away from you. This moment may be the most time your child has ever spent apart from you, so it may be an adjustment. One way you can make it more smooth is to strategically plan outings the month before the big day where your Kindergartner spends some time apart from you. This practice gives them a chance to work the “muscle” they will need for the first day of Kindergarten.

The fourth step is to talk with your child from a place of confidence as the first day of Kindergarten approaches. Children reflect what they see in their parents, so share how you believe in them. Be specific in your examples. Pray with them and ask others you trust to speak to them as well. Say something like, “We see that you are growing up and are ready for Kindergarten. You are going to do a great job listening to your teacher because we see how you listen to us at home.” These messages are blessings to them that God has made them and prepared them for this moment. They give them confidence and help prepare them for this transition. 

The fifth is a step just for you. The first few days after you drop off your kindergartener may be filled with all sorts of thoughts and emotions. It’s a moment that is worth savoring, so plan and schedule some time to pull away and document along with a little self-care. Some couples take off work and go to breakfast together. Moms or dad meet up for lunch and share stories. Others take a day trip to an art museum or the zoo to slowly take in the joy and sadness with worship and gratitude.

Just like all transitions, the transition to Kindergarten might be a little messy. It may be clumsy for you and your kindergartner. We encourage you to give both grace and space to work through this together. Kindergarten is a huge transition, but there’s so much more of the journey left to enjoy as a parent, so try to enjoy the moment as much as possible for this beautiful journey.

Seasons of Change: 4 Conversations to Prepare Your Child for Middle School

EMAIL 1

Copy/Paste the email below.

Subject Line: 4 Conversations to Prepare Your Child for Middle School

Parents,

As your child enters the last few years of elementary school, we want to help you prepare them for junior high. Today, we give you four conversations to use during car rides that provide your son or daughter guidance for their middle school years.

To view the short video, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/551790539/4ad4330f25

It is my privilege to join alongside you on this parenting journey. If you need anything or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

[INSERT SIGNATURE HERE]

EMAIL 2

Copy/Paste the email below.

Subject Line: Seasons of Change

Dear Parents,

Some parents grow anxious when they think of sending their daughter or son into the halls of middle school. Other parents are afraid of what will when occur during the adolescent years. Today, we give you four conversations to have with your child during the elementary years to prepare them for what’s coming. It will ease your mind and theirs…just a little!

To watch the brief video, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/551790539/4ad4330f25

Thank you for the opportunity to partner with your family. Please contact me if you need anything.

[INSERT SIGNATURE HERE]

VIDEO

SOCIAL MEDIA SWAG

We have a new video that offers parents four conversations to help prepare their child for middle school. These discussions are perfect for car rides and road trips. Check your inbox for more.

Season of change is inevitable for parenthood. Our new video gives parents four conversations to have with their children during the elementary years to help prepare them for junior high. Check your inbox for more!

Start now by preparing your child for middle school with these four easy and encouraging conversations in our new parent video. Check your inbox for more!

Do you worry or fear about your child’s middle school years? In our new parent video, we give you four conversations that will help ease your child’s mind and heart as they (and you) think about the future. To view, check your inbox for more.

VIDEO SCRIPT

If I ask you to think back to your junior high years, what comes to mind? For many of us, we just cringed because those middle school years are not always the most fun. I use the term wonderfully awkward to describe this season. It’s actually a beautiful time where you transition from a child to a young man or woman, but in the transitions and shifts, we go from what is comfortable to what is awkward, uncertain, and clumsy. So today, here are a few conversations to prepare your child for this important transition.

First, discuss the term “developmentally appropriate.” You can use this term with your son or daughter throughout conversations over the years to help them understand the changes within their minds, hearts, and bodies. When you talk about this concept over and over, they eventually will believe the message, “I’m okay. This is uncertain what I’m going through, but I’m okay. I’m normal.” 

Second, discuss the topic of friendships. During the middle school years, friendships make a natural shift. Until this point, they were based on classes in elementary schools, parent’s friendships, or neighborhood locations. But when they move onto middle school, the connections are based on interests, likes, and dislikes, such as gaming, sports teams, or music. 

This transition contributes to the awkwardness of middle school because it can be tense and stressful at times. They may potentially go through sadness or grief. They also have to go through the nervousness of new friendships, or they may want to keep a friend from elementary years, and now they will need to work outside to maintain it. When tweens understand what is happening with friendships, it helps them feel okay.

Third, discuss the transition between child and adult. Let them know they will have one foot in childhood and develop one foot into adulthood. This time can be exciting because it means freedom and adventure are coming. But at times, they may be sad and miss their childhood years. Sometimes they might see a kids menu at a restaurant and realize, “I can’t order that anymore,” or they head to a playground and realize, “I’m too tall to play on the playground.” They may play with a childhood toy and feel embarrassed to play with it, wondering, “Should I want to do childlike things? I feel awkward.” 

This tension makes them feel like they don’t know who they are anymore. This moment is a great time to speak words into their hearts, saying something like, “You might be feeling this, and if you are, it’s okay. It’s normal and developmentally appropriate. You’re going to be okay. You still are very much a child, so it’s okay to play, and when you’re ready to put it up, then you can.”

Fourth, discuss the search for likes and dislikes. During the next few years, your son or daughter will be searching for their likes and dislikes. They once may have liked the color green, and now they hate it. They once wanted to eat meat, and now they’re vegan. It changes as quickly as the weather. Do they like surfing? Skating? Do they like hip hop or country music, or both? They may try all of these things. And if we aren’t preparing them for this desire to change, which is developmentally appropriate, they might begin to feel like something’s wrong. It’s developmentally appropriate that they’re supposed to try things, and if they don’t like it, they can move on to something else. 

These four conversations are just a few of the topics you can cover to help prepare your child for the middle school and junior high years. It may be awkward, but it can be wonderfully awkward. And thank you for your willingness to help prepare your child for these upcoming years.

Time Management: 3 Ways to Teach Your Child About Managing Time

EMAIL 1

Copy/Paste the email below.

Subject Line: 3 Ways to Teach Your Child About Managing Time

Parents,

Some people may think that children are too young to learn how to manage time, but what if we started introducing the concept through practical and concrete ways, such as school and playtime. In today’s brief video, we give you three ways to use your child’s everyday world to introduce “time management concepts.” It’s easy and quick. To get started, click the link below.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/537428433/afb7a39633

As always, it’s my pleasure to partner with you and your family. If you need anything, please feel free to contact me.

{INSERT SIGNATURE HERE}

EMAIL 2

Copy/Paste the email below.

Subject Line: How To Teach Your Child About Time Management

Parents,

Some of you may have heard about the three ways to manage money: give, save, spend. Well, time is similar…work (school), play, and rest. As children move between school, soccer fields, piano lessons, and church, you can have an ongoing conversation about their time and commitments. It creates the perfect opportunity to start the subject about why they do what they do.

Today, we give you a brief video that encourages you to have this conversation with your child.  Click the link below to view the video.

https://vimeo.com/parentministry/review/537428433/afb7a39633

The elementary years are an important time to lay the groundwork for much larger discussions coming down the road about time management. You can get a head start by doing some preparation now.

If you have any questions or want to discuss further, please do not hesitate to reach out.

{INSERT SIGNATURE HERE}

VIDEO

SOCIAL MEDIA SWAG

For a brief minute, let the continually rolling list of adult responsibilities take a break, and we focus only on one task at hand: playing with our children. When we play with them, we teach them the value of managing our time well. Learn more in our new parent video! Check your inbox for more.

When our children work, they are stewards and caretakers of their brains and bodies for a bigger purpose. As they grow up, school turns into a job. This job makes way for those gifts and talents for their provision and to bring God glory. Learn more in our new parent video. Check your inbox for more!

Some of you may teach your children the 3 ways to manage money: give, save, spend. Well, time is similar, but with work, play, and rest. In our new parent video, we quickly show you how to teach your child 3 ways to spend their time well.

We have a new parent video for you!!!! Check your inbox for more.

VIDEO SCRIPT

In today’s video, we give you 3 concrete ways to teach your child how to spend their time. It’s so easy to do that I bet you’re already doing it and didn’t even know it. Here are 3 God-intended ways to spend time: Work, Play, Rest.

Number one. Work. This principle is one that God created in the Garden of Eden. He intended us to work and not just sit around all day being fed grapes as people fan us. That’s not God’s goal for us. The ability to build something or create something with our hands and to do work is a gift from God. Even for children! 

One of the ways they spend time doing “work” is in school. Whether it be learning how to read, using a glue stick, or running on the playground, they go to school every day to “work,” similar to adults. When our children work, they are stewards and caretakers of their brains and bodies for a bigger purpose. As they grow up, school turns into a job. This job makes way for those gifts and talents for their provision and to bring God glory. 

Teach your child that school has a bigger purpose. God created for them and gave them work, which is one incredible way to spend their time. BUT… it’s not the only way.

The second way your child can spend their time is through play. It’s a child’s love language to play. And one of the best things a parent can do is to play with them. Playing means we choose some age-appropriate recreation with our children where we can laugh and enjoy ourselves. For a brief minute, let the continually rolling list of adult responsibilities take a break, and we focus only on one task at hand: playing with our children—no correcting or instructing, just connecting. And we share a hobby with our children. This use of time exemplifies to our children that “playing” is just as important as work—the two stay in balance with each other.

The third way is rest. We don’t just work and play, we also rest, which is a tweak on Play. Rest is a use of the time that God gives us to calm our minds and hearts. Resting was given to us by God when He talked about the Sabbath. He instructed us to set aside a window of time to stop everything, unplug from the noise, and plug into Him. We invite him in to fill us up, talk to us, and we to Him. It’s worship, whether in hiking through the woods, singing with our Church community, or reading a child’s devotion to our children. We allow God to reenergize and replenish, so we’re free to live fully. Like when the phone runs out of battery or the car out of gas.

God has designed us, including our children, to need to stop and rest. How can we provide these moments equally for our children as we do rest and play? Ask the Lord to show you what is best for your family? How can you schedule moments of rest with your 6-year-old or 9-year-old? Each age, personality, and family dynamic mean rest look different, so ask the Lord to show you how.  

Some of you may teach your children the 3 ways to manage money: give, save, spend. Time is similar. Teach your child the 3 ways of time management: work, play, or rest. Show them how to do it by modeling it for them, with your schedule, but more importantly, their schedule. As you schedule their activities throughout the elementary years, keep these three in mind. When you do, you follow time management the way God intended. And hopefully, as they become teenagers and adults, they will remember and repeat.