Change is a regular aspect of life, but as far as a young child is concerned, transitions, in the form of a new school or a relocation, a change of family, or a big milestone such as the beginning of kindergarten, can cause a lot of stress and anxiety that an individual might experience. Such emotions tend to be exhibited in the form of clinginess, regression, sleeping disorders or resistance. To pass the test of those times, it takes going beyond reassurances and creating an internal kit of resilience and adaptability to offer to a child. In Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready, encouraging the children in difficult transitions is part of our mission as an educational institution. We give young learners the predictability, competence, and emotional means that they need to address change, not in fear, but in gradually building confidence through the stable, supportive and skill-building system of Kinder Ready Tutoring.

Predictability and control are the greatest antidotes to anxiety of change. In times when the bigger world is confused, it is necessary to have good habits and a safe foundation. This stability is inherent in the Kinder Ready Elizabeth Fraley tutoring model. The individual sessions provide a predictable, stable environment with an adult they trust, which becomes a haven of normality in the place of flux. The instructor can carry along with rituals that are familiar during the lesson, and it gives the necessity of continuity. In addition, the program assists families in establishing and sustaining straightforward and reassuring home routines, highlighting the idea that certain things, such as the order in which a tutoring session occurs or a bedtime story is read, will not change. This similarity serves as a stabilizer that decreases the general stress burden of the child and allows the child to disengage emotionally to address the change at hand.

At the same time, it is important to develop the sense of competence in a child in order to promote resilience. It is common that stress is the result of the fear of being incapable of coping with new demands. This is directly opposed by Kinder Ready Tutoring, which makes the child feel capable and prepared. To a child who may have fears regarding joining kindergarten, the program will demystify the process systematically by developing the exact academic and social skills that they will require. Learning to sound the letters, drilling using group instructions, or role-playing how to seek the assistance of a teacher is concrete evidence that they can handle the challenges presented to them. Mastery gained through this is highly empowering. With every little achievement, the child develops self-efficacy, or the sense that they are capable of dealing with something, which is the main pillar of resilience. The teacher is to act as a serene, supportive mentor who applauds hard work and interprets failure as learning, and not defeat.

Lastly, the program enables children to have strategies of emotional regulation to deal with feelings that change instigates. This includes broadening their emotional vocabulary to describe emotions such as nervous, sad, unsure, etc., and training simple, tangible coping skills such as deep breathing or a comfort object. The task of Elizabeth Fraley Kinder Ready is to present children with various methods of learning, and one of them is to learn about their own feelings. When the tutoring relationship is incorporated with these practices, the children will be able to feel confident in their capability to cope with internal distress. This comprehensive strategy, consisting of maintenance of stable routines, ability training to achieve competence, and emotional coaching, is such that children are not only coping with stressful changes, but they are also acquiring the ability to cope with such changes, and are doing it successfully. 

For further details on Kinder Ready’s programs, visit their website: https://www.kinderready.com/.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ElizabethFraleyKinderReady