Make a Tough Job Easier – Get your Child Ready for Preschool
Starting preschool can be stressful for parents and toddlers, even if your little ones have been transitioned into daycare for some time. Use these ideas and activities to help ease some of the anxiety that your child feels about this exciting new milestone in his or her life.
Getting your Child Ready for Preschool
Get your child involved in more social activities
Preschoolers are expected to play cooperatively with others, share, and take turns doing things. This might be difficult if your child is not used to being a part of a group. However, there are ways to make this transition easier. Enroll your preschooler in a group class or arrange play dates with other kids. If possible, get them acquainted with some of their future classmates, so that the change is more gradual on the first day of preschool.
Pay attention to your child’s worries
It’s tempting to reassure your child automatically and sweep his or her worries under the carpet. But the main thing is to let them know that their feelings have been heard and that they matter to mom and dad. Assure your child that it is OK to be excited, worried or scared about preschool and lots of people have had those feelings. Your toddler’s anxieties about starting school can have a significant impact on his experience there. Never brush them off as unimportant.
Get your child used to saying goodbye
For many children, saying goodbye to a parent on the first day of preschool can be the most difficult part of the whole experience. You can make it smoother by setting up and practicing a ‘goodbye routine’ before you are ready to leave the house. This could include a hug or a kiss or even a special handshake that tells your child that you’re leaving for now but you’ll be back to pick him or her up. Sneaking out of the classroom when they aren’t looking will only make him more insecure than ever.
Pay an orientation visit
Visiting preschool at least once before the first day could go a long way to calming your child’s fears. Find out if the school has an orientation day and take your child along for a visit. Introduce them to the teacher so that he or she knows that there is nothing to fear while at school. If your toddler has any questions, make sure these are addressed before their first day.
If your toddler is anything like other children, they will naturally have worries and anxieties about starting preschool. Let them know that they are loved even when they’re having a bad day at school!
