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Starting preschool is such an emotional time for both little ones and their parents.
\We are dealing with the mixed emotions of watching our babies grow up, while they might be facing separation for the first time or nervous about change.
Getting your child excited about going to preschool is important to making it a great experience for you both, right from the start.
You can use preschool books as great tools to talk about school.
Also, teaching them preschool songs and preschool games they might play can help as well.
There are lots of things that you can do together to help them prepare and get your child excited about going to preschool.
How to Get Your Child Ready for Preschool
Take Them to Visit Their Preschool
For many little ones, fear of the unknown can have a profound effect on them.
Simply taking a day to visit their preschool and then meet their teachers can help to ease a lot of their fears.
Seeing all of the fun toys and preschool games that they’ll soon enjoy can be a great icebreaker.
That bit of familiarity will help them start to get excited.
Read Preschool Books
Preschool books about starting school can be a wonderful asset as you start the conversation about the first day of school.
Look for preschool books that feature characters that have similar concerns to your child, if you can.
Visit the library together or search Amazon and then purchase some new titles that you can share together.
Read the books and talk about feelings and how the characters overcame them. Here are a few great titles to try:
The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing
Rosie Goes to Preschool by Karen Katz
Teach Them Preschool Songs
Preschool songs are a great way to help kids get excited about going to preschool.
Kids love to sing!
When they know the preschool songs they’ll sing in class, it will help boost their confidence.
Talk with the teacher to learn some of the popular tunes and lyrics from the preschool songs featured in their classroom and then work on them at home before the first day.
Play Preschool Games
Be sure your little one understands that playtime is an important part of their school day.
On your visit, point out some of the preschool games that they have stocked and then pick up copies to play at home.
Teach them other preschool games like Red Light, Green Light; Mother, May I; and Duck, Duck, Goose.
Again, their teacher is a great resource to help you teach them the preschool games and activities that will be a part of their day.
Let Them Help in Preparing for Preschool
Give your child a say in preparing for their big first day.
Let them choose their backpack and lunchbox, if needed.
Allow them to help pick out a special outfit to wear on the first day of preschool.
Giving them choices will help them to feel in control as they start out on this new adventure.
Though the first day might not be the easiest of either of you, when you work to get your child excited about going to preschool, it will help you both to handle the challenges.
Preschool will soon become one of their favorite parts of the week!