Raising kids in today’s world is tough. Not only is parenting tough but today’s world is! I’ve been a parent for 6 years now and through parenthood I’ve experienced family trauma, therapy sessions, breakdowns and overwhelm. And let’s face it, these are all possible heck maybe even likely outcomes to experience throughout parenthood.
But with that also comes resilience, growth, strength, and passion. Resilience, in being the parent that does not get overwhelmed by big emotions. Growth and strength, through learning new strategies and reflecting on things that worked and didn’t work. And passion, to be the best version of yourself for me and my children. But where does school readiness fit into all of this? Before I write about my philosophy of school readiness and my values of parenting in general, I want to share my story with you…
My Childhood
I was born in Germany and have two younger sisters, one of whom is adopted. When I was 7 years old, my family moved to Malaysia for my dad’s work and we were shipped off to a completely different continent. No family support, no English or Malaysian speaking skills, no friends.
But growing up in Malaysia was absolutely the best experience I could’ve wished for. Being a foreign kid in a country like Malaysia taught me so much. I believe it was there, in the streets of Old China Town, that I knew I wanted to be the best person that I could be by treating others with kindness, helping those in need and growing a family of my own one day. Seeing poverty firsthand taught me to be grateful and has ignited this need in me to help others.
Starting Adulthood
Fast track 13 years and I am moving to Australia, on my own at 19 years old to study teaching. Yet again I’m overseas with no friends and no family. I’ve always felt like I didn’t quite know where my true “home” was. We moved houses about 8 times while living in Malaysia plus a whole country as a child. So when I arrived in Australia, I knew this would be my home. It felt like I had found a place where I had what I was looking for! I then met my husband at 21 years old and we travelled the world together in between my studies and our jobs.
After starting my teaching career, we had two beautiful daughters. And in 2023 we got married in our backyard with both the girls and all our friends and family present. This about sums up my life in one paragraph. But what is important to share is that with these experiences also came a lot of personal work that I had to go through to become the person, the mother and the teacher I am today.
With years of personal therapy, researching and learning, I’ve been on this journey of parenthood. And I now want to share this journey with you! Anyone can give parenting hacks and advice, but what about learning tools and resources for parents to help their kids with school, or even more so with school readiness? What is school readiness and why am I wanting to talk about it with you? School readiness encompasses a variety of skills—emotional, social, cognitive, and physical—that will help your child transition smoothly and confidently into the school environment. With this comes another personal hurdle as a mother…
Parenting and school readiness
My eldest daughter is a sensitive soul. So curious about the world around her, she can feel anxious and gets overwhelmed easily, especially with new situations and environments. The school environment is an overwhelming place at first – new routines, social expectations, curriculum learned. I knew she would struggle to start school. I knew she would be asking all the questions and needing all the answers.
Therefore, I needed to prepare her for school as best as I possibly could. We struggled with morning tantrums, not dressing herself for school, crying at drop offs, emotional overwhelm and outbursts after school. The end result came to with a lot of hard work – preparing her for the difficult moments, building resilience in the first few weeks, the separation from mum and dad, the overwhelm with loud kids running around everywhere, understanding new skills and routines in the classroom.
We put the strategies into place, and she is thriving! 7 weeks into school and I can confidently say she is happy to go each morning and is even receiving a Learning for Growth Award at her next assembly! And how did we get here?
Where I am now…
For years I have created resources and lesson ideas for teachers. But what about us parents? What purposeful resources are out there for busy working parents to access for their kids to use at home? So, I used my teaching expertise and my personal experiences as a parent to create a school readiness program for PARENTS, not teachers, to get their child ready for school. Here is where I am today. Sharing my ideas and methods with you because they worked for me and my children!
My mission is to give you access to quality resources that target school readiness and that promise to help your child feel confident starting big school.
Welcome to Little Learners Nook School Readiness – a place where you as the parent will learn ways to play and learn with your child.
It’s playful, it’s intention, it’s purposeful!
With love,
Maria