When it is time for your child to go to preschool it is an emotional moment for both the parents and the child. Preschool is more about socialization than it is about knowing how to count to ten – although that helps. What is more important is that your child knows and learns how to interact with others, how to share, and how to treat others with respect.
The skills they need in this arena can quite easily be taught at home. In fact, they should be. You can start by ensuring that everyone in your family, including your toddler learns to say please, thank you, and excuse me. If this becomes a habit at home, it will be a habit everywhere. Your child’s teacher will greatly appreciate the habit.
If you are in a home where your child has been in daycare because you work, you have one up on stay-at-home moms. The separation anxiety problem that all parents and children have when they start school will have been dealt with. If you fortunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom you may want to start working on this one big event first.
Perhaps set up a day, once a week, on which your child will be dropped off by you and watched by someone else. But when your day arrives, make it into a day that will be similar to the routine they will experience before school. Have them get up early, eat breakfast, and brush their teeth. Then have them pack play supplies in a backpack. Make them lunch and make sure they bring it. When the time comes for real, it will not be as stressful for your child. You can remind them that this will be like your “mom” day. This will ease their anxiety, and yours, when you leave them at school.
What Else Can I Do?
Your child will be using scissors and playing with toys that involve shapes. You can get your child some playdoh and a child’s scissors and teach them how to cut by cutting the playdoh. It will help if you get them accustomed to pencils and coloring. These are skills they will learn at school but if they are already familiar with them, they will feel more at ease.
Another helpful outing is to go to the school. If your school has a “visiting” day, take advantage of it. If not, park your car and walk around the school and the playground and let your child know they will soon be going there. Be sure you don’t do this, months in advance or your child may blow the event up in their mind and get anxious. A few weeks before school starts is better. Plus, you can make it sound more like an adventure rather than a new chapter in their life.
If you are looking for a Christian based preschool in Mansfield, Texas contact us here at Country Club Montessori. We have been helping children learn through the Montessori approach since 1983.
