Prep Your Child for Preschool Over Summer

More and more young children are attending preschool than ever before as parents are realizing the benefits of an effective preschool program. It’s important to remember that preschool will be the first experience away from the home environment for an extended period of time and the rules & structure of an educational setting can be a daunting thought to many 3 and 4 year olds.

If you are just as anxious as your child about preschool this fall, these ideas & tips will help you prepare for the big change ahead.

Prep for Separation Anxiety

Most preschoolers will experience separation anxiety in one form or another throughout the first few weeks. Our experts discuss some tips that will help reduce separation anxiety while reassuring your preschooler that everything will be OK:

• Warmly reassure your child that you will return.
• Give hugs and kisses for comfort but do not prolong the goodbye process as children tend to get more worked up as time goes on when you refuse to take them with you.
• After you have left, it’s important not to immediately return, even if it’s for something you’ve left in the car. The best policy is to give it to your child’s teacher or the office where you will not be in sight of your child.
• Practice during the summer by dropping your child off at a friend or family member’s house for a short period of time. Start with an hour and then gradually increase the amount of time away from your child during future visits.

Implement a Preschool Similar Routine at Home

While you won’t be able to structure a school’s schedule perfectly, you can still maintain a snack, play, lunch, and nap schedule that is around the same time as the program. Contact your child’s new school to find out their daily routine and try to mirror that schedule at home over the summer so your child will know what to expect when school starts. This will add a sense of security and consistency that will help ease anxiety and fears over what will happen during school hours when they are away from their familiar home environment.

Prepare Them Emotionally for Preschool

It’s not uncommon for young children to experience angst in new situations. Preschool can be particularly stressful once they realize they need to return to school consistently and stay for extended periods of time without their parents or caregivers.

Here are a few tips to prepare your child for all of the emotions they may feel leading up to and during the first few weeks of preschool:

• Always associate preschool with a positive emphasis. Speak with your child a little each day in light conversation about how exciting preschool will be and all of the fun things they will do.
• If you are exceptionally emotional about your child starting preschool, it’s best not to let your little one see your emotions.
• Allow your child to pick out their own backpack and school supplies.

The teachers and staff at Avalon Park’s Kids ‘R’ Kids preschool are here to answer any questions you may have about starting a new preschool program. From curriculum to daily procedures to meals & planning and more, we want to make sure our students get the best of the best. Contact us today to find out more about our Avalon Park preschool center.