What percent of kids cry on the first day of kindergarten?

Question

For the record, it isn't my child (at least not a child I raised) I am wondering about. My almost stepson starts school tomorrow, and his sister, age 12, was going on yesterday about how she was the only kid in her class who never cried on the first day and how he better not be such a sissy as to cry. I can't remember about myself- since I was in preschool since I was 3- and I was just wondering whether he is likely to.

He has gone to a babysitter before, and stays with us for 2 days every other week, so he has been away from his mom, but when he was supposed to stay for 2 weeks this summer, he started crying to go home the 1st day and did go home the 3rd. So I was just wondering if he was likely to.

Answer 1

Closer to only one or two out of a class of 18 - 20. They do much better than the parents! If you don't transfer your anxiety to your child - they will do fine. Once they get there and start interacting with the other children they adjust quickly.

Answer 2

In all of the years that I've had a chance to observe (including my own first day in Kindergarten a zillion years ago,) or to ask teachers, in classes of between 20 and 35 kids, only 2 or 3 cry. (about 10%)

This was true in my class of 35. Mind you, I grew up in a geographically large rural district where there were no pre-schools within an hour's drive & most (maybe even all) of the moms did not work outside the home. I not only hadn't been away from my Mom for pre-school or other activities (because there weren't any,) I'd never even had a babysitter or slept over at a friend or relative's house -- and I did not cry. Far from it! Like most of my classmates, I was shooing my teary eyed mother out the door because I was overjoyed to see so many kids my own age all in one room, just as my parents had described it to me in the days and weeks prior to first day and I couldn't wait to go play with all of them!

Answer 3

When my daughter started kindergarten last year, she didn't cry. There was about 15 kids in a class of 48 that were crying. I would say it depends on if the parents are making kindergarten look positive and fun to the kid. My mom said I didn't cry when I went, but like she told me and I told my daughter. Kindergarten is fun, you will make lots of new friends and do lots of fun stuff. Postive reinforcement helps any kid deal with changes, especially changing from staying at home, then going to school.

Answer 4

My child didn't. She was so excited to go! She had 2 years of Preschool prior to Kindergarten. The only time she cried was the first year of Preschool but that didn't last long.

Answer 5

I don't know about a percentage. I know that most kids will cry sometime during about the first 2 weeks or so as they are adjusting to being away from mom and learning the rules and routines of the classroom.

Answer 6

Many kids cry one first day when they get to kindergarten. That is nothing unusal or abnormal. I cried also. I think there is about 80% of the children that cried at first day in kindergarten.

Answer 7

Who do you think goes around to every single k class on the first day of school to watch and find out?

Answer 8

I didn't cry on my first day of school...but my mom did. OMG I was so embarrased. Im not the oldest she'd been through this seven other times and she stilled cried. I was like ahhhh.

Answer 9

from 0 to 100 percent would cry because some kids dont even know that they're at a school haha

Answer 10

I just took my child to her first day today! I wanted to cry!!!! SHe whined for a little bit but she was happily coloring when we left her. There was another kid in there who was bawling when we left and you could hear him down the hall way.