1st Graders Giving Advice to Kindergartners is All You Need to Watch Today
Great Hearts Academies January 6, 2023 -
One of the first big transitions we experience early on in life is the start of kindergarten. Whether we remember this transition or not, it was a pivotal time where we had to face a variety of challenges for the first time. If only we had someone who was still young enough to remember the hardships but old enough to reflect on the experience from the other side. That’s where the advice of a 1st grader becomes an invaluable resource.
A first grader still remembers the sights and smells of the first day of kindergarten. They can recall the clumsy introductions followed by awkward silences. They remember the simplicity of finding a new best friend by asking them to play on the swing set. They can still taste that graham cracker they would eat during snack at early recess. These first graders have overcome their first big change in life. They have conquered that kindergarten mountain and have continued blazing trails, but this time with the knowledge that they can flourish while doing hard things.
Watch some or our seasoned great-hearted first graders give their best advice to incoming kindergarteners. It’s advice from those who can draw from their own experiences, good and bad, and can provide excellent guidance as we try to find our own way.
The importance of knocking on the bathroom door before entering and locking the bathroom door was stated more than once during the interviews. Whether that advice was relayed from the faculty, or advice born out of a painfully embarrassing experience remains a mystery. But an important point none the less.
Many key pieces of advice center around relationships with others as kindergarteners begin interacting with peers and teachers for the first time. Being kind and helping one another came up frequently. Learning the skill of offering a hand when someone falls creates good-natured, responsible, and caring citizens.
If you have a child starting kindergarten in the near future, find a seasoned first grader to provide some well-placed advice to reduce the first day jitters. We have a great resource for parents in the article, Steps to Take Some of the Sting out of Starting Kindergarten, and we have also compiled a resource page for kindergarten to help with the transition for both you and your child. You may want to find a parent of a first grader to give you some good advice for coping as well.
Do you have a story or know of a story that you would like to see featured at Great Hearts? Please contact jmoore@greatheartsamerica.org.