My baby girl started kindergarten last week and it has been TOUGH!

Let me start by saying that I taught kindergarten for 7 years and have had 3 boys complete K. Let me also say that my Violet is as fun loving, social and confident as they come. That said, I never dreamed my girl’s reaction to her first week of school would have played out the way it did. To put it mildly, she was NOT HAPPY! She may or may not have tried to escape and run away a few days in. =/

I’ve seen kids with separation anxiety and others struggle with the length of the day or making new friends, but this has been a whole other monster…stomachaches, not wanting to eat, refusal to get out of the car, crying…so many tears. =(

The answer to the lady in the carpool line on her most difficult day is…no, she does not always act like this. I finally realized she was lonely at school. This five year old little lady started a brand new school where she knew nobody her age and her usual happy and bubbly personality that makes it easy for her to make friends has been failing her. I know masks are needed. They serve a purpose and are beneficial in helping the spread of this ugly virus. I believe this to be true and believe the benefits outweigh the annoyances. I also now know that making new friends is just a bit more of a struggle with them. So…in case your kiddo is like mine and starting a new school or a new routine during a pandemic is taking a toll, I am sharing a few things that have helped Violet.

1) Mommy and Me bracelets- Shout out to Espacio for making a rush order for us! I put my bracelet on and she put hers on and she can look at it during the day and remember that I am thinking about her and will be there to get her in a few hours. For whatever reason… it helped!

2) Lunchbox notes- Little notes that she can see in the middle of the day remind her that she is strong and brave and we love her so much.

3) A photo of the 2 of us in her pocket- My husband’s aunt has taught pre-school for many years and this is a suggestion she gave us. The first day that Violet brought a picture of us, she told me she looked at it “a million times.” =) So far one photo is all she needs, but the suggestion was to take several (smiling, being silly, dressed up, etc) so she can mix it up when she wants to. (We printed out a snapshot on our home printer that is small enough to fit in her pocket and laminated it with our home laminator.)

4) A sticker chart at home for days she doesn’t melt down.

5) Special treat for a good day or week.

I hope you don’t need any of these suggestions and that you all are having or will have a smooth start, but if you do, maybe one of these ideas will help. =)

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