10 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Danish Kindergarten
Moving to Denmark is exciting, but starting kindergarten can feel overwhelming for children. As an expat mum, I discovered that preparing my daughters wasn’t about teaching them perfect Danish: it was about making everyday routines feel familiar before the first day.
Practical Tips for Preparing your Child for Danish Kindergarten
So I want to share a couple of simple practical tips to help your child feel confident before starting kindergarten in Denmark.
1. Visit Before the First Day
Explore the playground and neighbourhood so the building already feels familiar.
2. Practice Everyday Routines
Practice taking off a jakke, putting on hjemmesko, washing hands and putting away a pretend madpakke.
3. Learn a Few Useful Words
Words like hej, farvel, tak, jakke and drikkedunk make the environment less intimidating.
4. Listen to Danish Songs
Songs help children recognise familiar melodies during circle time and feel included.
5. Read Picture Books
Books about starting kindergarten create opportunities to talk about emotions.
6. Practice Independence
Let your child carry their own backpack, tidy toys and pour water.
7. Play Kindergarten
Role-play saying goodbye, greeting teachers and joining play.
8. Stay Positive
Children often mirror our emotions.
9. Focus on Confidence
Knowing what happens next is often more important than speaking perfect Danish.
10. Explore Poikilingo Kids
Our kindergarten games let children experience real Danish routines while naturally learning vocabulary.
Parent tip: Celebrate effort rather than perfection. Every familiar routine builds confidence.
📱 About the appPoikilingo Kids doesn’t simply teach words like ‘jakke’ or ‘madkasse’. Children actually help Kevin arrive at kindergarten, hang up his jacket, change shoes, put away his lunchbox and follow the same routines they’ll experience in real life. The goal isn’t it only to learn Danish. It’s to help international children walk into kindergarten feeling less overwhelming and more confident.
Poikilingo Kids is a Danish language learning app designed for children aged 3–6. Created by expat moms, it features mini-games built around kindergarten routines, seasonal content, and a highly inclusive avatar system. 100% ad-free and child-safe. Available on iOS and Android.
