Are You Worried About Your Child's First Day Of Preschool? Here's How To Prepare Beforehand To Ease The Transition
Posted on: 15 November 2017
The first day of preschool can be very stressful for your child; he or she is placed in a new and unfamiliar situation while also being separated from you for the entire day. Preparing well beforehand will ease the transition to preschool; children should be informed of what a typical day in preschool entails and should be comfortable interacting with other children. While most children will suffer some anxiety from being separated from their parents, proper preparedness can significantly reduce the anxiety of being placed in a new situation. Here's how to best prepare your child for his or her first day of preschool.
Read Books And Use Play Acting To Help Your Child Understand Preschool
It's important for you to give your child a sense of what a day in preschool will be like for him or her. At this age, children enjoy using role playing as a way to learn behavior. You should take your child through a typical preschool day using the preschool's schedule as a guide. Have your child practice eating food from his or her lunchbox, using the bathroom alone and tying his or her shoes. You should also have your child practice the ability to sit patiently cross-legged on the floor while being read to.
Reading children's books about preschool to your child is another excellent way to give him or her an idea what to expect about the first day of preschool. Books are targeted towards assuaging the anxieties that children typically have during their first day, such as being unsure about other children or the teacher and anxiety about being separated from you.
Set Up Play Dates With Other Preschool Children
If your child has not been regularly engaging in play dates with children around his or her age, you will want to start doing this before the first day of preschool begins. The first day of preschool can be very stressful for children since they are separated from their parents in an unfamiliar environment. If your child is not used to being around children his or her own age, that will add to the stress; it is much easier on your child if he or she knows how to play with other children and is comfortable with it.
Allow Your Child To Communicate His Or Her Fears
You will want to give your child your full attention and let him or her discuss fears about preschool with you. One of the most common fears about preschool is that you will forget to pick him or her up at the end of the day. You should continually reassure your child that you will be there and that you will not forget, even though it is obviously something that would never happen. Children have difficulty contextualizing situations at this age; for them, forgetting to pick them up at preschool is similar to forgetting to turn the lights off at night. No matter what fears your child may have or how unrealistic they may be, you should listen to them with your full attention and gently alleviate them.
The first day of preschool can be a stressful time for both parents and children; by preparing early, you can make the first day go as smoothly as possible. The most important thing is that your child knows what to expect from a typical day at preschool and feels confident that he or she will enjoy preschool before the first day begins. For more information, contact companies like Kid's Country Learning Center.
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