Hi there Martha,
I’m so sorry that I didn’t spot your question come in at the time. How is your daughter doing now? Of course this would be very difficult for her to know that her sister is being picked up earlier. Is your daughter 5 or what age is she, and how old is her sister? Is her sister still in the Montessori kindergarten? And of course a very difficult dynamic for her to try and fit in to the group when other children already know each other and have hence formed those bonds.
This must all be so very stressful for you and her both. And the fact that her upset is waking her up earlier is part of the vicious cycle. The more stress a child is experiencing the more they need their full night’s sleep, and also for you I’m sure this results in you getting either less sleep, or less time to get ahead of the game in the mornings or both.
How is she bonding with her new teacher? Is her teacher sensitive to this being a very challenging transition for your girl? Parents have to work hard in this situation to bridge the connection between their child and the teacher to help build and deepen the bond, and hence build your child’s sense of security.
Yes I love that you’ve got it on your radar to organise play dates with one or two of the other children in her new class, this can make a huge difference when the child is looking forward to seeing their friend in class. Also it can help to get to school earlier so she has time to play on the playground before school. And better still if you can stay there for a while and sit and watch her as she plays, this can create a new warm transition.
When you respond to these questions, I’ll have more of a picture and can engage more with your questions. Also, have you read my article; Starting school excitement or dread and Helping your child adjust to a new early childhood environment. The second may not be fully relevant but some of the points are transferable to starting primary school after pre-school.
Helping children adapt to an early childhood centre or carer
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