---
title: Celebrate Small Wins and Avoid Burnout - It's Okay If Your Child Hasn't Checked All the Boxes Yet (Week 12)
description: Reflect on your child's progress, celebrate milestones, and learn how to document those precious learning moments effectively.
image: https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/progress%20check-in%20blog%20cover%20image.png
---
[](https://kindergarten-prep.com)
- [KG-READINESS TEST](https://kindergarten-prep.com/kindergarten-readiness-assessment)
- [KINDY](https://kindy.kindergarten-prep.com/)
- CURRICULUM
- [Preschool & Pre-K Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum)
- [For 3-Year-Olds](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds)
- [For 4-Year-Olds (Pre-K)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-4-year-olds)
- [Play-Based & Hands-On](https://kindergarten-prep.com/play-based-preschool-homeschool-curriculum)
- [Secular](https://kindergarten-prep.com/secular-preschool-homeschool-curriculum)
- [Autism, ADHD & Speech Delay](https://kindergarten-prep.com/homeschool-curriculum-for-autism)
- FREE WORKSHEETS
- [All worksheets by theme](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-printable-activities)
- [Name tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/name-tracing-worksheets)
- [Dot marker worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/dot-marker-printables)
- [Tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tracing-worksheets)
- [Math worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-math-worksheets)
- [Fine motor worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-activities)
- [Cutting worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cutting-practice-worksheets)
- RESOURCES
- [Letter activities](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/letter-activities-for-preschoolers)
- [About us](https://kindergarten-prep.com/about-us)
[Log in](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com/)
Curriculum Mindset Session
# Celebrate Small Wins and Avoid Burnout - It's Okay If Your Child Hasn't Checked All the Boxes Yet (Week 12)
Reflect on your child's progress, celebrate milestones, and learn how to document those precious learning moments effectively.
[Vida Mercer](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/author/vida-mercer)
Oct 21, 2025
---
Welcome to this week's Mindset Session. This is an exciting week. You guys have covered so much.
- We've already gotten to the letter L in the alphabet.
- Your child is likely counting very high up, perhaps even all the way to 100.
- We've covered a wide range of [fine motor skills](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-skills-in-preschool) and [social-emotional skills](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/is-your-child-emotionally-ready-for-kindergarten).
- Your child has engaged with concepts spanning [science](https://kindergarten-prep.com/fun-preschool-science-projects-hands-on-learning-for-ages-3-5), [history](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-family-tree-activity), and art.
- They're learning about themselves and the world.
You have accomplished a great deal so far. I want to take a moment to congratulate you on that. Take a moment to acknowledge that. Congratulate your child, congratulate yourself, and give yourself a pat on the back. It's not easy, but you've come a long way and accomplished so much.
It's a good time to look back and reflect on that and see how much you have done in a short amount of time, no matter where you're at with the objectives, whether you are right on track for this point, or whether you need to take a little bit of additional time with some of them.
## The importance of tracking progress
You should, if you haven't already, develop your own system for [documenting all the learning your child is doing](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/how-to-create-a-preschool-portfolio), which can seem overwhelming, especially at this age, because learning moments aren't necessarily stereotypical. Sometimes it's just that you've had a great conversation in the car. Maybe your child has asked you a question about rainbows, and you googled some information about it, and you guys had a little chat about it in the car or something.
Well, that's a real learning moment. And so, you should try to come up with a system that works for you, whether it's digital or on paper, to record those little moments that happen throughout the day that you might otherwise forget.
If you don't record them, you will forget about them. And then you don't always have the opportunity to look back and recognize all the learning your child is actually doing. It's really important for motivation, not only for you but also so that you can see how much your child is growing.
We watch them grow on a day-to-day basis, and sometimes it's hard to recognize just how much they are learning as they progress. So, you can sit down at the end of the day and journal about what happened that day, or you can use the voice recorder on your phone to take little notes of these moments as they happen.
## Meet your child where they’re at
So, going back to my comment about whether you have checked off all the boxes of the [curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum), I often discuss that and how it's really not about checking off our to-do list every day. It's about engaging with your child and progressing from where they are, building a learning relationship with them.
At any age, but especially when children are very young, there is a wide range of what is considered developmentally appropriate or on track, particularly in certain categories of activities, such as fine motor skills or social-emotional learning.
There may be children who seem to be far ahead of their peers in these areas, yet they're both developmentally on track. I encourage you to think on that a moment, acknowledge that, and just check in with yourself and make sure that you're not necessarily comparing your child to any other child, whether it's your friend's child, your other children, the child you were at that age, or even your own sort of expectations for where your child would be at.
And to have a moment to reset and recognize that they need to be met where they are. It doesn't matter if they're not [counting to 100](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/counting-to-100-made-fun-fingerprint-apple-tree-craft-for-preschoolers) yet or if they haven't mastered all of the [letter sounds](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/voiced-vs.-unvoiced-sounds-2-simple-phonics-tips). The point is to really get to know your child, to get to know where they are in the learning process, and to go and meet them exactly where they're at and help them to progress from that point because it ultimately doesn't matter very much if they don't check off all the boxes. It's okay. Let’s understand where they actually are and how we can help them get to the next step.
## Consider taking a break from the curriculum
You might also, at this point, be feeling a little bit burned out. Perhaps the routine is getting a bit dull for you and your child, so don't hesitate to mix it up. Sometimes, no matter how well my schedule or my routine works, I get tired of it, and my children do too.
And sometimes it's just a matter of [reshuffling your schedule, refreshing your mindset about your day, and incorporating some self-care into your life.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/time-management-course) If things are getting a little tedious and you're encountering some resistance to the learning activities, consider adjusting your schedule or taking a break for a week or two.
This is almost midway through our [homeschool preschool curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum), so it's a good time to pause and take a breather if needed. Maybe you've been letting some other tasks go by the wayside because you've been spending more time on learning activities with your child.
Perhaps you need to take a week or so off to catch up on those things and feel refreshed, or you can let your child do the same.
This is an excellent time to pause if you need to and assess that you'll likely return from that stronger and better than ever, ready to blaze forward, and your child will probably do the same. Consider taking a brief break at this time if that works for you.
And I think that's about it for this week. I hope that you enjoy the learning objectives we have planned. Again, if your child has reached that milestone of counting to 100, maybe consider a little celebration for them. It could be as simple as a cookie or just calling grandma to tell them about the accomplishment. It's a wonderful thing to celebrate and usually a big deal for a small child.
So, congratulations on everything you've done so far, no matter where you are. We'll see you next week.
[Curriculum Mindset Session](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tag/curriculum-mindset-session)
## Similar posts
Curriculum Mindset Session
### [Celebrate Your Child’s Milestones: Reflecting on Progress and Growth (Week 16)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/celebrate-your-childs-milestones-reflecting-on-progress)
Take time to celebrate your child’s learning milestones! Learn how to adjust your child’s learning pace with practical advice on when to push forward...
Vida Mercer Oct 21, 2025
Curriculum Mindset Session
### [Navigating Learning Resistance: A Guide for Preschool Parents (Week 1)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/navigating-learning-resistance)
How do I get my preschooler interested in learning? Discover 8 simple but effective strategies to overcome your child’s resistance to any learning...
Vida Mercer Oct 21, 2025
Curriculum Mindset Session
### [How to Create a Preschool Portfolio That Captures Real Learning (Week 4)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/how-to-create-a-preschool-portfolio)
Step-by-step instructions on making a preschool portfolio and progress report. Learn to capture, organize, and celebrate your child's learning...
Vida Mercer Oct 21, 2025
.png)
Kindergarten Prep helps parents give their three to five year olds a strong start at home: through play, conversation and hands-on moments, guided with intention.
### Menu
- [Kindy](https://kindy.kindergarten-prep.com/)
- [Log in](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com)
- [KG-readiness quiz](https://kindergarten-prep.com/kindergarten-readiness-assessment)
- [About us](https://kindergarten-prep.com/about-us)
### Compare
- [Kindy vs ABCmouse](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-abcmouse)
- [Kindy vs Khan Academy Kids](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-khan-academy-kids)
- [Kindy vs Time4Learning](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-time4learning)
- [Kindy vs The Good and the Beautiful](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-the-good-and-the-beautiful)
- [Kindy vs The Peaceful Preschool](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-the-peaceful-preschool)
- [Kindy vs Blossom and Root](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-blossom-and-root)
- [See all comparisons](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare)
### Free worksheets
- [Name tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/name-tracing-worksheets)
- [Dot marker worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/dot-marker-printables)
- [Tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tracing-worksheets)
- [Math worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-math-worksheets)
- [Fine motor worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-activities)
- [Cutting worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cutting-practice-worksheets)
### Curriculum
- [Preschool & Pre-K Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum)
- [For 3-Year-Olds](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds)
- [For 4-Year-Olds (Pre-K)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-4-year-olds)
- [Play-Based & Hands-On](https://kindergarten-prep.com/play-based-preschool-homeschool-curriculum)
- [Secular](https://kindergarten-prep.com/secular-preschool-homeschool-curriculum)
- [Autism, ADHD & Speech Delay](https://kindergarten-prep.com/homeschool-curriculum-for-autism)
© 2023+ Kindergarten Prep All rights reserved [Privacy Policy](https://kindergarten-prep.com/privacy-policy) | [Refund Policy](https://kindergarten-prep.com/refund-policy) | [Terms and Conditions](https://kindergarten-prep.com/terms-of-service)
[Powered by Atlas - a B2B SaaS HubSpot theme](https://www.kalungi.com/atlas-hubspot-theme-for-b2b-saas-software)
```json
{
"@context" : "https://schema.org",
"@type" : "BlogPosting",
"author" : {
"@type" : "Person",
"name" : "Vida Mercer",
"url" : "https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/author/vida-mercer"
},
"dateModified" : "2025-12-02T16:11:11.966Z",
"datePublished" : "2025-10-21T08:49:39.000Z",
"headline" : "Celebrate Small Wins and Avoid Burnout - It's Okay If Your Child Hasn't Checked All the Boxes Yet (Week 12)",
"image" : [ "https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/progress%20check-in%20blog%20cover%20image.png" ],
"mainEntityOfPage" : {
"@id" : "https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/celebrate-small-wins-and-avoid-burnout",
"@type" : "WebPage"
},
"publisher" : {
"@type" : "Organization",
"logo" : {
"@type" : "ImageObject",
"url" : "https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/delivery%202-2.png"
},
"name" : "Import Group OÜ"
}
}
```