Kindergarten Countdown: A Simple Way to Count Down the Days to School
I'll be honest, I didn't do this activity with a blog post in mind. However, once it was finished I knew I had to share it! I don't have a ton of photos or anything like that, but I can give you the basics of a simple and exciting kindergarten countdown. If you have a little one starting school this fall, you will definitely want to check it out!
Story behind it
Sofia has been super excited to start kindergarten in the fall. We know her school, and some friends who will be going with her, but the actual waiting of it is killing her. I am talking, "mom, do I go to kindergarten tomorrow?" three times a day, every day. I'll be real with you, it was driving me crazy. Probably payback to all the times I asked my own mom the same question over and over.
Anyway, flash forward to last weekend, Carl and I went on a day date to some neighborhood garage sales. While there I found this book for 50 cents, and I thought it would be perfect for an activity with Sofia. When we got home I gathered some construction paper, clear tape, and a marker. Then, I spent around 30 minutes cutting out and creating a paper chain to count down the days.
Materials I used
So because this was just a spur-of-the-moment activity, I don't have much for photos and I used materials I had around the house to make it. Here is what I used for this kindergarten countdown activity:
construction paper
clear tape
black sharpie
Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee
Directions
Step 1
Using the construction paper, cut out strips in varying colors. You will need as many strips are there are days until school starts, so check your district's calendar for your start date.
Step 2
*Optional* label each strip with the number of days from now until 1. Sofia has 90 days until kindergarten so it was a lot of cutting and labeling for me!
Step 3
Fold the paper strip into a circle shape and tape it together. Repeat this step by looping the paper through the previous circle to create a paper chain. (You can use a stapler, I know traditionally paper chains are made with these. I opted for tape because I knew it would go in her room and didn't want staples to fall on her floor when she ripped them off.)
Step 4
Once the paper chain is done, read the book Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee. It is super cute btw! Find a place to hang the chain, and let your child rip the first one off. If you wrote the number on the strips, you can chat about how many days are left.
*Rip one chain off each day, until the first day of school!*
Final thoughts
This activity has been a blessing for my mom brain. Sofia is no longer asking me nonstop about school. Instead, we chat first thing in the morning about it, pull a chain down, and move on with our day. We decided to hang the chain from her window in her room and it looks magical draped there. She loves the colors and the visuals she gets to see every day.
I hope this gives you some ideas for your kiddos!
💕💕sending love & momma to momma support,
Kaylin