Starting preschool is an exciting time for you and your toddler, but with that excitement can come anxiety. Learn how to prepare yourself and your toddler for the first day of preschool with these tips.
Starting preschool is an exciting time for you and your toddler, but with that excitement can come anxiety. Learn how to prepare yourself and your toddler for the first day of preschool with these tips.
When your child starts preschool, it’s both an exciting and daunting milestone. Your toddler is gaining their first taste of independence, but preschool can inspire separation anxiety in parent and child alike.
Luckily, there are some steps you can take to make this emotional experience easier on your toddler.
AGC Pediatrics is located in North Georgia, and we want to ensure your child is emotionally and physically prepared for their first day of preschool.
There is nothing scarier to a toddler than not knowing anybody on your first day of preschool. Coordinate with the parents of other children in the same class, and schedule play dates with them ahead of time.
Your child will feel less anxious if they already know some of the other students in their class. This will also ensure they don’t feel left out by students who already know one another.
Most importantly, this helps your toddler adjust to socializing and high levels of stimulation, so they aren’t overwhelmed on their first day. This will help them share, take turns, and get used to not being the center of attention.
Challenge your child to complete small tasks in fun ways. When the time comes for them to go to preschool, they’ll have to do a lot of tasks on their own. By practicing, your child will be excited to do things for themselves rather than feeling helpless.
The bonus benefit of this step is that you’ll spend less time and energy trying to get your child ready for preschool every morning!
Spending time in a completely new place with strangers is enough to make even some adults feel anxious. Find time to take a tour of the preschool with your toddler. Go back to the school’s playground a few times. This will allow your child to feel more comfortable and confident in the classroom environment, and they can even associate preschool with fun.
When you visit the school, be sure your child also gets to meet the teacher. This can help your toddler feel safe and can improve their behavior with the teacher.
Some parents find it helpful to invent a goodbye ritual ahead of time. Examples of goodbye rituals include things like a high-five or a special saying. Goodbye rituals offer positive reinforcement and reassurance.
Your child will feel like they’re being rewarded for their good behavior, and a structured goodbye lets both parent and child know that you’ll be seeing each other again before you know it.
While goodbye rituals are helpful, it’s important to not linger.
These tips can help your child emotionally prepare for preschool, and AGC Pediatrics can ensure your child’s physical well-being with a check-up and any vaccines required by the preschool.
Book an appointment for your toddler online with AGC Pediatrics.
AGC Pediatrics is a faith-based Christian organization serving all of God’s children since 2006.
