1st Day of Pre-K Tips

•      End-of-summer strategies to take the jitters out of that first day of preschool

Summer Tips Prepping for Preschool

Your little one’s about to take a big step. Maybe it’s just half a day, but it’s also the first day of the first year of a school career that will last many years. As proud as you are of your pint sized pupil (and as precious as she looks with her brand-new backpack on), you may also be feeling anxious especially if this is her debut away from home without you and a tad sad about letting go. Her feelings may be all over the emotional map, too she may be excited one moment, apprehensive the next. Knowing that topsy turvy emotions are only natural when change is in the air can help both of you adjust and so can some smart preschool prep.

 

Here, tips to ease the first day of preschool jitters:

PREPARING FOR PRESCHOOL TIP 1: GET YOUR CHILD’S SLEEP SCHEDULE IN SYNC FOR SCHOOL.

 

In the weeks leading up to preschool, gradually adjust your sleeping beauty’s bedtime and wake-up call: Put her to sleep ten minutes earlier each night and get her up ten minutes earlier each morning until you reach a wake-up hour that’s compatible with her new school schedule.

 

For a less-stressed start to school mornings, make sure you build in enough time for getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing teeth, and cuddles — all at a preschooler’s pace. If her program is all-day, find out when nap time is scheduled; you’ll want to slowly sync up her nap time at home with the school’s.

PREPARING FOR PRESCHOOL TIP 2: DROP SOME HINTS.

 

Describe what to expect at preschool — what she’ll do there (sing songs and make artwork), who’ll be there (other kids her age), how a preschool day will be the same as one at home (there’ll be a snack), and how it will be different (circle time). Point out cousins or friends who go to preschool. Make it sound fun, but don’t talk it up so much that you make your tot suspicious or set her up for disappointment. Just as important: Don’t introduce the idea of being scared or nervous.

 

PREPARING FOR PRESCHOOL TIP 3: READ ALL ABOUT IT.

 

Reading about preschool (like any new experience) is one of the best ways to prepare for the big transition ahead. Check out books like What to Expect at Preschool, which offers a realistic preview of preschool life: what a classroom looks like, what teachers do, what children do. Point out how her school will be the same (“Your classroom has an art easel, too!”). If she’s stress-prone, stay away from books that tackle anxiety.

 

PREPARING FOR PRESCHOOL TIP 4: PRACTICE THROUGH PLAY.

 

Role-play can reduce the fear factor of any new experience, and preschool’s no exception. Play “school” with her stuffed animals. Play circle games. Challenge her to a show-and-tell session — or to announce the weather each morning. Have her practice packing her new backpack. If she’ll be staying the whole day, let her eat out of her new lunchbox at home. Try these other preschool lunch tips, too.

 

PREPARING FOR PRESCHOOL TIP 5: MAKE IT CONCRETE.

 

Drive or walk by the preschool and show your child where she’ll be going so there are no extra surprises on that first day of preschool. If sneak peeks are possible, take a tour inside the school (and maybe even introduce her to one of her new teachers) and hit the playground.

 

PREPARING FOR PRESCHOOL TIP 6: BREAK THE ICE.

 

If your little one hasn’t spent much time hanging out with other kids, set up some playdates with her new classmates or other children before the first day of preschool. This will get them used to sharing toys, taking turns, and playing cooperatively in groups. Plus, they will have the benefit of recognizing familiar faces that first day.

 

https://www.whattoexpect.com/toddler/starting-preschool/prepping.aspx

 

 

Make a game out of practicing self-help skills.

 

These skills include zipping and unzipping their coat, hanging their coat on a hook, putting on their backpack, fastening their shoes. For example, you might want to have a “race” with your child to see how quickly she can put on her shoes. When you play school together, you can give your child the chance to practice putting on and taking off their coat, zipping their backpack closed. 

 

Check out:

  

https://teachingmama.org/4-ways-to-celebrate-the-first-day-of-preschool/