Even though my kids are teenagers now, I still remember those first days of school as I tearfully watched them get on the bus and head off to kindergarten. Sigh … it goes by so fast…
If your little ones are just starting school, they (and you!) might be a little nervous about this new experience. Here are three of my favorite DVDs to help soothe those first-day jitters.
1. Rock ‘N Learn: Getting Ready for Kindergarten
With its cheery music, valuable lessons, and combination of animation and live actors, this award-winning DVD is the perfect way to prepare little ones for kindergarten.
The main characters, Joey and Jill, take viewers through lots of life skills, like tying shoes (with the bunny-ear method!), sorting by colors and shapes, holding a pencil and scissors properly, printing numbers, drawing a person, recognizing alphabet letters, following directions, playing with blocks, writing their name, making the bed, setting the table and more.
Some lessons are repeated several times for optimal learning. Not only does this DVD get kids ready for kindergarten, it will also assure nervous kids (and parents!) about heading off to school.
2. LeapFrog: Let’s Go To School
Tomorrow is the first day of school for frog siblings Tad and Lily, and they’re both a little nervous about it. But their perspective changes when firefly pal Edison takes them on a magical tour of the classroom and they learn that the objects there are just as scared.
As they interact with classroom objects like blocks (who keep jumping back in the box because they’re scared), the calendar, and the clock, Tad and Lily get a taste of what’s ahead, including counting, phonics, days of the week and more.
By the end of the DVD, everyone is looking forward to the first day of school. With catchy songs and fun characters, this is a great DVD to help soothe kids’ first-day jitters.
3. Sesame Street: Ready for School!
This sweet musical from our friends who live on Sesame Street helps kids understand what to expect on their first day of school. That adorable Muppet Elmo chats with his friends about their school experiences and begins to form some ideas of what’s in store for him.
In the process, his excitement might help a shy toddler overcome his or her own fears about kindergarten. Familiar faces include Gabi and Miles, now teenagers about to graduate from high school. Shirley Jones plays Mrs. (Mother) Goose, a teacher at the Storybook Community School.
I love that not everyone in this DVD is as excited about school as Elmo. Baby Bear frets about what his family will be doing without him, and Gabi recalls how shy Miles was in kindergarten. That’s reassuring for little viewers who might be nervous about this new experience.
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