Preparing for the end of a magical year!
The end of the school year is always so bittersweet. It never fails to amaze me how fast the school year flies by, and now, it’s time to prepare for the next chapter! It’s been a magical year with our wBees, and we want to make sure each of our 2024 wBees feels confident and prepared for the coming months. Whether they will be with us for summer camp and beyond or if the last day of school is our last goodbye, we want to reassure all of our children that they are ready to move on to what’s next. We’re so proud of all the amazing growth and learning we’ve seen this year and can’t wait to hear about all the adventures that are to come.
Let’s celebrate!
It’s amazing how much our wBees have done in the last 10 months! The portfolios show just that. As teachers created portfolios these past few weeks, we reminisced on the change and growth that each child has experienced. It’s important to let your child know how amazing all of their small and large accomplishments are and to champion their efforts. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s important to remind children that they can do hard things! You can use their portfolios to prompt conversations about their favorite works, their memorable connections, and all the special moments they’ve had with their peers and teachers in the classroom. Remember to celebrate their social and emotional growth as much as their physical and cognitive growth. We’re so proud of our wBees!
Stay connected!
Whether your child is off to bigger adventures at a new school or returning for another awesome year at wBees, we hope you continue to foster the wonderful connections made this year. For many of our students, these are their first friendships and peers they’ve explored and learned alongside for so long. Cultivating those special moments and having a dynamic group of playmates over the summer and beyond will help reinforce the wonderful social skills that they’ve been developing and will continue to mature.
Maintain routines!
Young children don’t have the full cognitive capacity to understand time at this age. The “end” and “beginning” of things aren’t clear, and they can’t grasp how long a week/month/season is. It may take some time for your child to ease out of their school schedule and into your summer plans. It’ll be helpful to try to keep as many routines consistent as possible to give them some stability and not offset their internal clocks too much during this time of heavy change. Continue as many routines as you had before and slowly begin to adopt new ones if needed for your summer plans or as you approach your new school. For children returning to wBees, we keep the same routine year after year amongst all of our classrooms, so expect those general times to stay the same. Children’s minds crave order and consistency, so the more you can keep things going at a predictable and familiar pace, the easier it will be for them (and you).
Get creative when speaking to them about time and when things will be coming up. Since young children can’t fully understand time yet, you can use a visual schedule to have a concrete way to visualize how much time until a family vacation or the start of a new school. You can also use things like paper chains to signify the days passing by. Phrases like “After 3 nights of sleep, we will start summer camp!” or “After grandma’s birthday party, we will start school again.” It can help children conceptualize the passing of time in more concrete ways.
Tune in on emotions
The end of the year can feel confusing for young children as this has been their life and daily routine for so long. As you move into summer plans, camps, and vacations, check in on your child’s emotions and how they’re processing these new experiences and changes. It’s ok to have big emotions! Feeling confused, sad, or overwhelmed is normal during the days and weeks following the last day of school. Give your child some extra space and love as they process the end of this chapter and the beginning of the new one. Utilize stories, play, and visuals to work through big feelings and prepare your child for the next event.
I emailed each class their own personalized social story (check your email for 6/12). You are welcome to utilize this tool to discuss what “Moving Up” means and what new adventures await your child. Discussing change and new plans is important, but remember not to overdo it. Talking about new routines and plans can feel overwhelming, so be ready to answer questions and talk through them with them. Having concrete tools like photos and books can be a wonderful resource to help children understand what is to come.
Planning for what’s to come
Anticipation can get the best of us, so it’s best to plan ahead and be ready for future changes. If you have any major changes, such as a new school or camp, be sure to involve your child in the process of preparing for this to make it a positive and familiar experience. If you can, visit the new space or have playdates with new classmates. Ask for pictures of the new space or new teachers.
Most importantly, there’s no better way to prepare your child for a new adventure than to give them the space to explore, space to process these changes, and quality time with their important caregivers. Continue reinforcing expectations and boundaries, building their frustration tolerance, and working on their abilities to express their feelings, emotions, and opinions. Champion their voices as they continue to learn to advocate for themselves, give them space to try new challenges and the time to figure out tricky new skills, and allow them to be the silly, sometimes beautifully nonsensical moments of early childhood. They’re only this age once, and oh, what an amazing time it is in their lives! Everything they are experiencing now is the ground for their journey up ahead.
Thank YOU!
Each year, I’m increasingly taken aback by the incredible community we’ve cultivated at wBees, thanks to our amazing staff and wonderful families. Our teaching staff's endless effort and dedication are never short of incredible. The love and connection from our network of parents, grandparents, nannies, and caregivers fuels the home-to-school bond that makes it so easy for children to feel like we are an extension of home for them. And most of all, the fantastic group of wBees, the astonishing class of 2024, with all of their might, grit, silliness, love, and passion, has made this year one for the books. I have so many memories of story times, messy art projects, thrilling obstacle courses, gushy sensory bins, curious questions, the pio-pio song, oh so many snails, endless cuddles & hugs, and so many laughs and smiles with all the wBees that I will cherish. Each of your children has such a special place in our hearts, and we feel so deeply grateful for your trust in us to co-care with you for them. We know how valuable these early years are for a child’s life and we are honored to create the foundation alongside you.
We wish you all an amazing summer and look forward to seeing some of you back for summer camp and in the fall! Please never hesitate to come by for a visit or a high-five when we see you at the park! As always, I’m always available if any questions come up as your child continues on!
With love and gratitude,
Victoria
