Three Ways You Can Familiarise Your Child With Their New Preschool To Make The Transition Easier
Preschool is the first time in your child life that they are going to be mostly surrounded by people other than family. Naturally, this is going to come with some hiccups as your child learns to adapt to their new reality, but at the end of the day, almost all children take to preschool sooner or later. If you want this to be more on the 'sooner' side of that equation, there are a few simple tricks you can use to prepare your child for preschool. These don't take a lot of time, and they can also be great bonding experiences for you and your child.
Walk To Preschool
Before the big day arrives and you actually take your child to preschool for real, it can be a good idea to go on a few dry runs with your child. Hopefully, you live close enough to the preschool that you can walk to it, but if you will be driving, that is also perfectly fine. Just make sure to stop and get out with them to show them the surroundings. The idea is that on the first day of preschool they face as few new challenges as possible. If they already know where they are going and what the place looks like, that will be one less thing that bothers them.
Stick Around
Often, a preschool will let parents sit quietly in the back for a day or two so that the child knows they have a connection to someone they know. If the child forms new connections quickly, you will probably be able to slip out after a few days. During this time it is important that you don't initiate contact with them but rather respond to them when they need it. That way they will begin to develop a sort of 'tolerance' to surviving on their own in this environment.
Give Them A Few Treats
If your child is quite anxious about preschool, as some will get, then one way to take their mind of their current predicament is to distract them with a treat or two. This doesn't necessarily have to be food, but it can be watching an episode of their favourite show or going for a walk to their favourite park. On their first day, you should also give them a good, filling breakfast and make sure they eat enough so that they have energy for the day. That can be tricky if they are nervous, so make sure to monitor how much they eat.
To learn more, contact a preschool near you.
