Resources

Transitioning into Kindergarten – cultivating resilience and a sense of belonging in children

Getting ready to start kindergarten can be both an exciting and stressful time for parents and children. There is also strong evidence that building resilience in early childhood helps children to develop skills to overcome obstacles and reduce anxiety or other stress-related disorders later in life. While some degree of anxiety is normal when starting school, building a child’s resilience to cope with everyday challenges and difficult experiences correlates with thriving academically and socially.

A positive parent-child relationship is the foundation to fostering resilience in children. When parents understand resilience, they can be proactive about promoting children's resilience as early as possible so that children are socially and emotionally prepared to deal with setbacks and problems when they arise. Helping parents understand that they cannot protect children from challenging moments, instead building their resilience in preparation for navigating challenges is key.

That's why we've developed the Kindy Kids Connect information sheets to help guide you and your children through the transition to kindergarten, access the sheets below: 

Children's hierarchy of needs

Building your child's confidence for school

Separation anxiety

Empowering children to ask for help

Helping kids manage their big emotions

Mindfulness

Social skills and communication