Mommy and baby may have been inseparable. Hopefully some good preschool stuff has happened. Kindergarten is still, for the family, the start of real school. It's a big deal, and everybody's a little nervous.

Some schools are trying out Orientation Days ahead of time, when you can visit, meet the other parents and kids, find the bathrooms, try out the chairs and the play areas, and talk with the teacher. If you're offered this choice, it's well worth your time.

Parents' stress often comes from two sources: first of all, getting all the stuff you have to show (birth certificate, immunization record, etc); and second, hoping your kid's adjusting well in this very new setting. Here's where plain old routine can help you both: start about a week ahead of time and make it a special thing to talk about school clothes, timing the trips to school and back, and whatever else comes up. Always put out quiet assurance that it will all work out very well.

Kids who have been in a good preschool probably already know some words to label feelings that come up. Others will need to learn such words in their families. One easy family game is "Happy and Sad". Kids and adults take turns saying, "I'm sad because ______________________ and I'm happy because ______________________." Then go around again with "I'm mad about ________________ and I'm happy about ________."

Another practice kids often meet in a good preschool is resolving a fight. You can teach your kids to work things out as long as you've had some practice yourself that has yielded positive results. Use a few calm words that come easily, but avoid coming up with a solution: ask how they think it should be solved, and don't stop with their first thought. That's how they'll learn.

In your quiet times and play times together, don't overlook the obvious connections between reading and the little rhymes or singsong games you might do together. It's all part of language arts, and can produce a verbal child who likes to rhyme and even read.

A year later, should you be a small person, the year you spent in kindergarten can make it easier to sit still, in one place, longer than you've ever done before. When you hear you're even expected to keep your eye on one person at the front of the room, and remember what she's saying, that's pretty strange. But if kindergarten turned out OK, you probably won't mind too much.