When your child turns three, they become eligible for preschool. However, not every child can quickly adapt to a new environment, least of all a social setup. Being in an unfamiliar place can make your child feel anxious. As a parent, you must take measures to immerse your child well in a school setting.
The primary goal of preschool is to teach your children basic skills and lessons to help them develop a certain level of individuality. Proper and early preparation allows your child to be more cooperative and enjoy going to school. Below are some ways to prepare your child for preschool:
Slowly Introduce School Activities
Your child might not quickly warm up to schoolwork, or they might feel too overwhelmed by them. You can help your child adjust by preparing them early.
Before school starts, you can try engaging them in problem solving activities for preschoolers. Prepping activities will give your child an idea of what they’ll do in school. You can teach them basic mathematics, coloring, tracing, and reading. Try as much as possible to make these activities fun. Limit their exposure to schoolwork to at least an hour, and never force your child into answering their papers. But instead, encourage them by showing how fun schoolwork can be.
Establish A New Routine
When your child finally enters preschool, their daily routine will change. They might need to wake up and bathe earlier and ride to school. However, a sudden change in routine might be overwhelming to your child. Introduce them to preschool life by making incremental adjustments to their daily routine. Familiarizing themselves in this manner will make their transition smoother.
Specifically, you should prepare them at least two weeks before school officially starts. You can begin by doing early morning activities, like going to the park or doing school activities in the backyard. You can incentive these activities to motivate them. Once their body adjusts, they won’t have too much trouble adapting to a school routine.
Teach Self-Help Skills
Before you send your child to school, you must ensure they can strive independently. Your child must know how to tie their shoes, zip their bags, and button their clothes without your help. Your child can’t always rely on their teacher to do things for them, since they need to be independent.
You can turn it into a fun game if you still teach your child how to do everyday tasks alone. You can have a contest to see who can do it faster and give snacks as a reward if they win. Turning lessons into a game will help your child learn better.
Visit The School Together
It’s an excellent measure to help your child know what a school setup feels like. You can schedule a visit to the school and let your child go through the halls and enter the classroom. If they know what their school looks like, it won’t feel like such a strange place once they start.
Let Them Choose Their Things
Make your child excited about school by letting them choose their school necessities. Bring your child to the store to let them decide on their backpack, lunchbox, crayons, and notebook. Buy them new clothes for school, but let them decide what they want.
Share Your Experience
It’s normal for your child to feel anxious on their first school day. To help your child feel more at ease, you can share your experiences with the school. You can share all your positive, fun school stories. For instance, if your child knows a friend of yours whom you met in school, you can tell your child how you two met. Sharing such stories will make your child look forward to school.
Say Goodbye In A Positive Mood
Your child’s first day of preschool can make you feel sentimental. Knowing that your child will be in school, and away from you, for half a day can make you feel anxious too. Yet you have to motivate them and show confidence in them.
So as you drop off your child at school, ensure you say goodbye in a positive mood. Hold back your tears, as your child might do the same. Instead, keep your spirit light and happy. Tell them to have a great time and you’ll see them in a bit.
Make your goodbyes short. Choosing to say goodbye for too long might convince your child to step away and go back home with you. You can hug them, hand them their bag, and send them off right away.
Takeaways
While some parents might see early preparation as troublesome, it can make a difference in the impression schooling can leave on a child. Being in their formative years, your child will be able to transition better in preschool with early preparation.
There are several things you can do to let your child feel comfortable about going to school. But the way you introduce the idea to them matters. Avoid making drastic adjustments to their usual routine so that they will be more receptive to change.
