Making Sure My Kids Are On Track

3 Tips To Ease First-Day-Of-Preschool Jitters

1 August 2017

Jackson Henry

As a parent, you will want the best for your child. A healthy diet, sufficient exercise, a great deal of love, and proper education are essential to your child's physical, emotional, and intellectual well-being. Unfortunately, you may not realize the importance of your child starting school early. Research has shown that children who start a quality preschool program will have a higher chance of being successful once they are in regular school. In addition to an improved education, children who are enrolled in preschool will learn social skills that will be imperative throughout their lives. Due to these benefits, it is easy to see the importance of preschool. Of course, preparing your child for their first day may cause some anxiety. With these tips, you can ease your child's first day jitters.

Meet and Greet

Before you actually enroll your child, it is smart to visit the preschool for a meet and greet. During this time, you will have the opportunity to tour the entire facility, which includes classrooms, restrooms, special areas, the cafeteria and kitchen, and outdoor play areas. You should bring your child to the meet and greet, since they should also spend time touring the school.

After the tour, you and your child will be able to meet the teachers, assistants, the director, and other staff. Your child will be able to spend time with their specific teacher and assistant while also interacting with their classmates. This gives your child some time to adjust to new people and a new environment.

To ensure your meet and greet is successful, call the preschool a few days or weeks before you plan to tour to schedule. Make sure to schedule a time during regular classroom hours. This will give you and your child a realistic look of what to expect during a normal day in the classroom.

It is important to note that the classroom may be hectic at the time, but this should not stress you out. Children learn best in active situations, so do not stress if the classroom is busy or loud.

Communicate

Communicating with your child is key to easing their first day jitters. Make sure to talk to your child about the importance of starting school a few months leading up to their first day. Each day, start a conversation with your child and tell them about the benefits of preschool. Be sure they understand that they will not only be playing and making new friends, but they will also learn about reading, writing, and math.

Allow your child to ask you questions about preschool. They may feel sad that they will be missing you during the day, but reassure them that you will be thinking about and missing them, as well.

Your child may also worry about meeting new children, but make sure they know that these children will be meeting your child for the first time, as well. Your child may feel nervous about a new situation, but their classmates will also feel the same emotions.

Preschool is not only an adjustment for your child. You, your family, the preschool teachers and staff, and classmates will all be adjusting.

Pack and Prepare

If your child has everything they need for preschool, they will not feel as anxious on their first day. Of course, each preschool is different, so your specific teachers may require different items compared to another school in your area. Be sure to ask the preschool director and your child's teachers what items they should bring to class.

The night before their first day, spend some time with your child packing their bag. Allow them to bring a special item that they can use for comfort while in school. A special blanket, pillow, or stuffed animal to cuddle with during naptime is a great option, but make sure to talk to the teacher before sending it with your child.

Rushing around in the morning will only increase stress and anxiety. Without having proper time, you will not be able to spend a few extra minutes with your child in the morning. Set your alarm a few minutes earlier to reduce time constraints that can cause extra stress.

Proper planning and communication can help your child through the adjustment to preschool. With these tips, you and your child will be ready for their first day of preschool. Go to this web-site or ones like it for more information.

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