For kindergarten children this can be a very difficult time. No matter how excited they are about coming to school, all the changes can be quite daunting. I often told parents that it was somewhat comparable to them taking a new job, but without the years of coping skills they have acquired.
To make life easier, I tried to let parents know that typically their child would require more food and rest than usual.
Also I would caution them that although some children could easily spend an hour discussing the day in great detail, other children would share very abbreviated versions of their day. For some reason, parents were quite happy with the extended report of the day. But it totally concerned parents who asked "How was your day?" and the answer was a terse "Fine." But what really got parents upset was the next question "What did you do today?" and the answer was "Nothing."
I would try to counsel parents to ask specific rather than general questions. "What story did your teacher read today?" or "Who did you eat lunch with?", rather than "How did your day go?"
As a teacher, I always loved the beginning of the year! It is so exciting to have a new group of children, and to think about all the wonderful things that will happen throughout the year!
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