Preschool comes with lots of benefits. It’s the perfect place for children to interact and make new friends while learning valuable lessons. Here, children learn life lessons such as sharing and connecting with fellow children.
However, although preschool offers many benefits, enrolling comes with difficult emotions for you and your child. It can be more difficult for a child joining the school for the first time, especially since he’ll be around new, unfamiliar people. As a parent, you need to develop ways to ensure that your child finds it easy to join preschool. As a parent, you don’t have to despair.
Here are some tips to ensure your child’s enrollment into preschool is as easy as possible:
1. Make A Trip To School Together
Before your child’s first day at the school, ensure to visit the school together. Have fun running around the school playground to help your child connect with the place. You can also explore the classrooms so that your child can become familiar with the school environment. You may want to visit https://www.loloschildcare.com/ to learn more about this daycare and preschool in Rigby.
2. Play Preschool-Themed Ideas At Home
During the first day at school, your child could experience anxiety due to not knowing what to expect. When this happens, try providing a glimpse of what to expect at school. You can help your child by performing preschool-themed games and taking turns assuming different roles.
For instance, you can pretend to be a teacher and teach your child how to say goodbye to mommy or daddy. Try to sing preschool songs, read stories, and practice taking a nap the way preschools do. Remind your child that preschool is fun, and he’ll learn new things. If there are questions, answer politely and patiently. These may reduce the child’s anxiety, and have him feel comfortable joining preschool.
3. Arrange A Playdate With Classmates
Planning a playdate at school with other classmates may also be helpful. This will help your child make and interact with new friends. Additionally, your child may feel at ease knowing that there will be many friends to play with at school. Besides, who doesn’t want to be among many friends having fun and learning new things?
4. Read About Preschool
Try reading books about joining school weeks before the big day. There are many books about starting preschool available from libraries that your child would love to be read to. Choose the ones that seem enjoyable, or better yet, let your child choose the ones he prefers. Read the stories together and study each character’s feelings. After you’ve completed reading, ask your child about how he feels about the idea of joining a preschool himself.
5. Shop For School Items Together
When shopping for school items, remember to bring your children along. Allow them to fit into uniforms and shoes. Have them pick the backpacks that they love. This may help them get attached to these items and long to put them into use.
6. Turn Getting-Ready Skills Into Fun
You may also turn getting-ready activities, like unzipping the coat, hanging the coat on a hook, tying shoelaces, and putting on a backpack into fun experiences. For instance, you might consider determining who between you and your child can put on their shoes faster. By this, you’ll allow your child to learn basic activities done at schools, hence minimizing tension.
Likewise, when practicing getting-ready activities, ensure to pack your child’s lunchbox and let him open it to see if he’ll find it hard doing it by himself.
7. Share Your Experience
Telling your child about your first day at school may help them develop courage. It may help them understand that you were once a preschooler who also went to school and nothing bad happened to you. Inform your child of your feelings and the memories you made. If you still have your preschool photographs, show him those so he’ll know that going to school is a normal thing.
8. Listen To Your Child
Talk to your child about his feelings about joining the school and let him know that it’s okay to experience mixed feelings. Let him understand that being in a new place surrounded by new people can be scary, but you’ll be waiting to pick him up after school. Moreover, let your child know that he can talk to his teacher if he has any problem and there’s nothing to worry about. It will also help your child to know that his teacher will be his friend and they’ll have lots of fun together while at school.
9. Adopt A New Routine
Start practicing a new bedtime and waking up routine ahead of time. Make sure to go to bed early and wake up early so that you won’t have to hurry your child in the morning. A routine is beneficial for your child as they’ll get used to it and won’t be having a hard time waking up in the morning. You may also consider developing a habit where you’ll pick out clothes to wear before going to bed.
10. Leave Your Child For A While
If you’ve always been around your child, try leaving him for a short while with people you trust (e.g., other relatives, friends, neighbors). Tell him you won’t be around for some time, but you’ll be back later. Let him understand that he’ll be safe with other people while you’re away. This will help your child understand that sometimes he has to be away from you (for instance, when he’s at school) and still be fine.
Conclusion
Enrolling a child into a preschool for the first time can be challenging. The child is bound to be overwhelmed, and parents would wonder if the child will cope with the new environment. All these concerns are legit, yet the bottom line is that your child has to go to school. The best way to handle this situation is to prepare your child the best you can. Ensure your child gets a glimpse of what to expect at school and assure him all will be well. With proper preparation and guidance, the rest will fall into place.
