A smooth start to the school year begins with healthy habits in the summer, especially for children entering kindergarten, Yvonne Messenger says.

“Research shows that helping our youngest learners establish healthy habits is a strong mediating factor in future learning, preventing concerns for math and literacy gaps as students get older,” says the Brock University Assistant Professor of Educational Studies.

Messenger is sharing five summer tips families can apply now to prepare children for their upcoming school journey.

Talk, listen and read together: Engaging in conversation while reading books with children is an important way to build communications skills, Messenger says. She encourages parents to ask open-ended questions and allow children to lead the conversation.

The less parents talk, the more children will talk and avoid “yes” or “no” answers, she says. She recommends having open-ended conversations while running errands, such as going to the grocery store and reading labels and signage together while identifying items.

“The more oral communication a child engages in and the more sophisticated their vocabulary when they begin kindergarten, the easier it will be for them to develop their literacy skills, which equips them to take on the reading and writing process.”

Make time for active play: Engaging in active play — outdoor physical activity and indoor play not connected to a screen — is all about healthy gross and fine motor development.

Children need strength and dexterity in their muscles from their shoulders to their fingers when they begin writing and drawing with markers and pencils.

Outdoor play, such as running and climbing, helps build muscle and prepares children to write effectively at school, while indoor play, such as doing puzzles, can help build cognition skills that can be useful when learning to read.

Practice healthy sleep and screen habits: Focusing on sleep habits and mitigating screen time will help ease the return to regular routines, Messenger says, especially if children need to get up earlier during the school year. She suggests beginning bedtime routines five minutes earlier each night for three weeks before children return to school.

She also encourages parents to adopt healthy screen habits, noting that the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends children aged two to five engage in less than one hour per day of screen time.

Limiting screen use also plays a role in emotional development, she says, as research shows many parents will give children a tablet to calm down if the child is agitated or upset.

“This works in the moment, but it doesn’t teach children ways to manage their emotions,” Messenger says. “At school, students will not be given a tablet when they are frustrated.”

Support emotional and social growth through play: To prepare children for taking turns and sharing, parents can create opportunities for children to play in group settings by visiting neighbourhood parks or public library programs.

They can also help support emotional and social growth by mirroring and naming emotions, Messenger says.

“For example, if a child is angry, parents can name and validate the feeling and demonstrate calm behaviour such as deep breathing — a technique they can use in their classroom,” she says. 

Build independence: The next month is the perfect time to practice independent skills for young children, from toileting and managing their own clothing to using lunch containers on their own. 

“Students who feel confident generally feel safer and less anxious, which, in turn, allows the brain to process information better and learn more easily,” she says.