The day your kid starts preschool is like the day you get married: it’s an exciting step into a new chapter of life. But just like getting married, there are things that need to be done before you can enjoy your new life as a parent. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to prepare your kid for preschool so they can have a great first day and enjoy their time at school!
Prepare Your Kid for Preschool
The first day of preschool can be scary for kids. They might not know anyone or what they’re supposed to do. So it’s important that you prepare them as much as possible before their first day of school.
Here are some tips on how to prepare your kid for preschool:
- Make sure your child knows which preschool is theirs, so if someone else tries to walk them there, they can say no and tell them where their school is.
- Have a conversation about what happens during the day at their preschool, like “I’m going to read books,” or “I’m going to play with toys.” Then talk about how much fun it will be! This way your child has an idea of what’s happening at school even if they don’t remember everything from last year when he got his own backpack filled with snacks and pencils (yum).
Understanding They’ll Be Away From You
The next step is to get your kid accustomed to the idea of being separated from you. You can do this by explaining that they’ll be with other kids, and that those kids will have teachers who are there to help them learn new things. Make sure to emphasize that they will have fun while they’re at school!
Books
Preschool is a big deal, and it’s not just for the kids. Parents should be ready to answer questions about preschool like: What will my child do? How will they learn? Will I get a break from them? How much does it cost? If you are prepared with answers, then your child will feel more secure and less likely to act out or have an emotional meltdown when they start preschool. Here are some ways that you can help prepare your kid for preschool:
- Read books about going to school! This can be fun since there are so many picture books available on the topic (and most of them are pretty cute). You can also find lists online of great books for kids about school—the best part is that there are lots of options out there so everyone gets their favorites!
Talking About Preschool
- Talk about what preschool is like.
- Explain why you’re going to preschool.
- Explain that you’ll be away from them for a few hours.
- Explain what you’ll do when you get home
Playing With Kids at the Park or Daycare
My favorite way to help your child become familiar with new people and situations is by having them play with kids they don’t know. That’s right, this course of action involves intentionally putting your child in situations where they have no idea what’s going on and don’t know anyone there!
I learned this trick from my own parents when I had my first day at kindergarten. They took me to the park before school started and made sure I played around with all sorts of kids I didn’t know. Sure enough, when the time came for class, I knew exactly how much fun it was going to be socializing with these same kids—and because of that experience at the park, most days were just as exciting as our field trip!
The faster they understand they’ll be away from you, the easier the transition will be.
It may seem counterintuitive to explain what school is, and how your kid will be away from you for a large chunk of the day. But it’s important to do this because it lets your child know that there’s nothing to fear—this won’t be the end of your relationship with them. Just like you need time away from them when they’re at home, they’ll need time without you while they’re in school too!
If you have a younger child, try explaining it this way: “You’re going to go with Mrs. Smith for part of every day so she can teach you things like reading and writing. You won’t be able to play with me all day anymore because now that your mind is growing up and getting smarter than mine (laughs), we have to spend some time apart so I can learn more things too!”
If you have an older child: “You’re going off on this big adventure where we won’t see each other until lunchtime.”
Conclusion
You’re ready to send your little one off to preschool, and we hope that this article helped you prepare. If you have any other tips or questions, please let us know in the comments below!