If your child is supposed to go to preschool soon then you must be going through a lot of emotions and thoughts lately. You may be feeling a little sad since you will have to spend time away from the child from now onwards but there is also a certain level of excitement since he/she is going to go out, make friend, learn new things and have fun.
The child must also be feeling a gamut of things due to this change in life and may not even be completely ready for it. The following are some of the tips to prepare your child for going to pre-school.
Tell the Child all the Good Things about Preschool
The best way to prepare a toddler for pre-school is to tell him/her all the good things about it. Tell him how much fun he is going to have there, how colorful the place will be and about all the other kids he/she is going to meet and play with. Make the pre-school sound like a fun place to be so that he/she starts looking forward to it.
Listen to your Child’s Worries and Answer them Appropriately
Ask your child to open up about his/her fears of going to preschool and then solve each one of them. The toddler must not have any misconceptions about preschool and all doubts and worries must be resolved before starting going to it.
Prepare the School Bag and Other Items
Engage your child by packing the bag and other items for the preschool. Let the child choose the bag, bottle and lunch box himself and then ask him to put things like notebook, colors, and toys in it. Label all the items and also put in any special medication the child may need.
Visit the Preschool a Few Days in Advance
It is a good idea to visit the preschool with the child a few days in advance to get your toddler familiar with the surroundings, the class rooms, the teachers and to open up his/her fears about it.
Teach Toddler Basic Self-Help Skills
The toddler must know basic skills like going to the toilet, washing hands, wearing clothes, packing bags, fastening shoes and making sure he doesn’t lose items before going to preschool. Thus you must spend a few days practicing these skills with the child before the first day of school.