End of the School Year Stress-Busters

The end of the school year can bring unexpected stress to kids.  Just when their teacher is feeling as comfortable as an old shoe, kids must prepare for a new one.

We dissolve their stress over a period of weeks.  We review memories of the year.  We look at old calendar pages, and remember special events.  We look at a photo gallery of pictures from the year.   We play favorite songs and dance to them.

I reassure the kids they will always have a place right here—I point to my heart.  We’ve been part of a club, a team, and we always will be.  When we see each other, we’ll smile and know all the adventures we’ve shared.

Then we list all the next grade teachers, and I tell the kids that it’ll be fun to meet a new teacher, with a different character, and a fresh perspective on life.

I read The Teacher from the Black Lagoon, which makes them laugh at their anxieties about next year.

And I remind them, if stress creeps up, to do our old standby: deep breathing. 

Life after kindergarten’s gonna be great!