As your eldest starts their kindergarten in September, you will most likely be focused on easing their transition and helping them cope with the separation anxiety. At the same time, you will also be dealing with your own emotions about the parting. But during this time, there is one aspect that you may forget to take into consideration; how your younger one will be affected by this separation, as their sibling’s absence will affect them greatly.
A toddler’s social life usually consists of their immediate family, and it can be upsetting to them when it’s incomplete. Losing their only companion, someone they are so accustomed to since their birth, can cause them to be ill-tempered than usual.
It is vital to properly acknowledge their feelings and soothe them before it gets out of hands. This also means you have to spend more time with them and keep them engaged since you are now their stand-in buddy.
Casually talk about the changes a few weeks ahead of the big day! You can also take them out for playdates where they can mingle with kids of their own age to help them experience new friendships. This will pleasantly make them understand that they don’t always have to be together with their sibling and there are also other things that they can do.
Once the school starts, take them along with you when you drop off your oldest and make it a fun time for both of them by sharing stories, singing songs etc. When they are missing their older sibling, console them by letting them know that their older sibling will be home soon.
One of the best ways to deal with it is to distract them by creating a small school setting at home by having a little desk and chair arranged for the little one. Abjadiyat can come in handy during this time, as it is an early learning app for preschoolers in Arabic. The app has been developed in collaboration with teachers and experts that contains interactive educational content in the form of eBooks, videos and games. And once you sign up with your child’s age, all the content will automatically be tailored to suit their age group. As they play the content, the learning path will customize the content to suit your child’s interest. Parents have exclusive access to their child’s progress report and can also control the time the kids spend on the app using the ‘session timer’. Additionally, you can print worksheets that are offered by Abjadiyat as homework which they can do along with their sibling and they don’t feel left out. This is very productive since it will also prepare them for schooling in the future.
It won’t be long before they grow up and head off to school themselves. So spend some quality time together and enjoy your moments together by giving extra cuddles as well!