Kindergarten Playground Meetup
My wife had the responsibility to plan a kindergarten playground meetup for the school our 6 year old daughter E goes to. There was a similar one planned by the school before the school year started. Fast forward towards the end of the year and it’s time to wrap things up.
I remember when E went to the one before the school year started. She was really shy and anxious. There were a few sessions planned so parents could take their kids to the one that worked best with their schedules. She was so shy and in her own shell that I was a bit nervous on how things would go (and really hoping she was able to make friends during the school year easily!). Fast forward to the end of the school year and there was no anxiousness or nervousness in sight. E was super excited to go and even meet the kindergarteners that weren’t in her immediate class. She really grew quickly and confidently. It was such an amazing thing to see.
During the event, E was zooming around talking to all sorts of new kids. She was also playing games and climbing on all the structures. Towards the end when families were filing out, one of E’s good friends stuck around and played even longer to drag things out. We had to literally pry her away because it was eating into her bedtime routine. Even my 4 year old son C and 1 year old son L had a blast. C was zooming everywhere on his balance bike and L was eagerly exploring all corners of the playground. I was left as L’s bodyguard and made sure he didn’t get hurt running around by himself. It was a really good event for many families, including ours.
The school year has flown by and I am really grateful for how things went. There were some ups and downs for E, but overall I could really see and measure how much has changed with her. Going to the meetup really put things in perspective and I got to think about it on the way home racing my wife, E, and C in the car while I ran with L in a stroller home. They won. Maybe next time I’ll figure out how to beat them. Overall, it was a great milestone to realize how far E has gone and I’m glad we could support her as a family to get here.
