Starting Back to Daycare After the Long Holiday
Kamukoti is closed in July, allowing both the daycare children and the adults to be on holiday at the same time. This ensures that familiar teachers and caregivers are always present for the children.
What happens at daycare before the children return?
On the first day of August, Kamu reserves time for planning and organizing among the educators. Together, the team reviews the upcoming activity season. In addition, staff have time to tidy up, arrange, and make the group spaces cozy and functional before the children arrive. Time is also set aside for planning the pedagogical activities for the first weeks.
What’s important to keep in mind in August?
Starting daycare again after a holiday can stir many emotions in a child. Returning to the daily routine can feel stressful and exciting. That’s why at Kamu we place great importance on easing back into the daycare rhythm and routines calmly.
Often there’s a new group of children, perhaps a new teacher, and also little ones starting daycare for the first time. One child may need more quiet time and cuddles, while another is immediately excited to jump into activities with long-missed daycare friends. It’s important to acknowledge and talk about these emotions with the child during the day.
We follow a planned daily schedule to help children feel safe and to avoid unexpected situations. The daycare day’s timetable is clearly displayed on the walls with picture cards. This makes it easy to check together with the children what’s happening now and what’s next. The pictures also help if a child wonders when it will be time to go home.
We consider it very important that everyone has a safe and as calm as possible start to the daycare year. An adult’s lap and encouraging words are always available for those who need them. In August, our activities focus on group bonding, a relaxed pace, emotional skills, and getting used to the daily rhythm.
In August, it’s important for both children and adults to get to know their new group at an unhurried pace. At Kamu, we make sure that every child knows which group they belong to, who their friends are in the group, and who the group’s educators are. During the first weeks, we play getting-to-know-you games and do activities like crafts, reading, singing, and moving, all based on the theme of the group’s new name.
Before long, everyday life sweeps us along, and soon we’ll find it’s time for the Christmas holidays!
Lots of good luck to all of us returning to everyday life!
—Iines, Kamu’s childcare worker,
Butterflies group
Original text in Finnish, translated by ChatGPT