Preparing Your Child For Pre-School

Oh Dear Lord!! The tiny creature who was dependent on you for every single thing is now ready to venture out in this world!! Good Job, there, Parent. Congratulations, and now that  you are planning a preschool for your child, you know he has reached another milestone in his life. This is an important phase of his life so you should not rush to conclusions. Remember any change is not acceptable to us, the grown- ups readily so imagine the confusion and the apprehensions in the mind of a 2-3 year old!!. He not only needs your help in this transition but a great deal of support and understanding from your side. Sending your child to a play group may be exciting to you but may not be the same for him.  It is important to prepare your child mentally and emotionally for the same.
Talk to him– Talk to your child and make him understand, how much fun the preschool is going to be .How other children who are known to him are going to school and enjoying themselves.
Allure your child– Give your child incentives to make him happy about joining school. Let him know he will get a new bag, water bottle, story books, new friends and how everything would be so nice and different.
Clear his doubts– We all would love to say simply that school will be fun and there is nothing to worry about it. But your child will not understand this. It is not as simple and easy for him as it is for us. Clear his doubts by giving explanations that can convince him and make him feel secured.
Arrange Social Activities for your Child– If you have a nuclear family and you have your first child, and then obviously he mustn’t be used to other kids around and sharing his things. Take your child to other friends where he can find the children of his age group and he can learn to play with them in a group. This way he will learn to share his things and know how to take turns.
Toliet Training A Must– You should get your child toilet trained before planning to send him to a school. This will not only make things easy for you but also for your child. If your child will pee in the class, he will become all the more disturbed and insecure not finding you around.
Share Stories- Tell him different stories about school and all the fun and games that are there. Encourage him about the new friends he will make and the loving teachers who will give him chocolates and toffees. This will ease off his worries to some extent.
Take Him Shopping– Let him select his own bag and water bottle, the color box and various other things. This way he will be enthusiastic about the new place and environment.
Kiss Him Bye– When you drop your toddler to school for the first time, don’t be in a hurry. Give him some time to say bye. Bend down to him, give him a kiss and say you will see him soon, just in no time or tell him that you are around only. Keep him reassured of your presence.
Don’t Panic– If your child is crying in the class and is scared to say bye to you, don’t run after your child. It is surely not easy for any parent to see his child weeping but it is in his interest.
Gradually, he will learn to part with you. So don’t panic and poke your nose much. All this will help your child accept the new surroundings more willingly. But it will require a lot of patience and effort from your side.