Sending your child to preschool sure is a huge step for both the parents and the child. There are plenty of emotions that go with it – you’re happy and excited that your baby will have new experiences and make new friends, but at the same time you’re a little sad that he is venturing out in the world without you by his side.
To help him adapt to the change of routine, here’s a few good tips on how to prepare your child for school:
Use educational materials that feature pre-school
A great way to introduce the concept of school to young children is by showing them. Look for different books that feature the characters attending a preschool. When it’s bed story time, you can read these books to your child. Talk about what the characters are doing ad ask your little one how he feels. You can also look for educational videos about going to preschool – showing children making friends, greeting their teacher or playing in the playground.
Role-play
Once your child gets an idea of what to expect when he goes to school, it would be ideal for him to “experience” it at home. Pretend play with your child, taking turns role-playing being a teacher, a parent and a child.
Act out common daily routines such as dropping the child off to school and waving goodbye to mommy/daddy, doing fun preschool art activities, taking naps and playing outside. For added fun, you can use a backpack and place snacks, some crayons and some paper inside, which your child can use for role-playing.
Talk about it
Kids love making conversation with you, their parents. Get your little one excited for school by constantly talking about it. Have a conversation about making new friends, learning new things and playing new games. Always ask how he is feeling and listen to his thoughts and opinions about it.
Reassure your child that his school is a safe and loving environment where children go to have fun, make friends and learn new things. If you’re up for it, you can visit the pre-school beforehand and show your child around so he can become familiar with it even before he starts attending school.
Here’s how to prepare your child for school – just follow these tips and both you and your child will be more than ready for this very special event in your life!