Five Ways to Help Your Child Prepare for Preschool

It’s that time of the year, when it’s the first day of playschool & school bells start ringing and the whole place starts to get liven up with the playful chatter of the kids. There are smiles everywhere with some occasional grumpy faces, who just can’t understand why they are being left here! There are welcome pats from the teachers, and goodbye kisses from the parents. Just as the door closes & the children take their first step into the world of education, proud parents stand outside with a feeling of accomplishment!

Starting play school is a big milestone for both your child and you. It’s sad to let your little one goes on bigger adventures without you, but they’re also learning valuable lessons that will translate throughout their childhood and beyond. Learning to spend time apart can be a difficult transition, but beginning the formal learning journey may still seem quite exciting too.

The recent COVID pandemic has taken away such beautiful moments due to the closure of schools, but now the schools are reopening with all precautions and safety, it’s time to make the most of it! A preschool in Navi Mumbai is taking extra precautions about the child’s hygiene & safety while welcoming them to their first day of playschool with warmth and smile.

Here are five tips to help make the milestone transition from home to preschool, as smooth as possible!

1. Visit the school together beforehand:

The best way to give your child a positive start to their schooling is to show them the school before their first day of playschool. Plan ahead to go to your kid’s new school together. Take a walk around the playground, see their classroom, and climb on the monkey bars but most importantly go inside and feel how big it is and take a look at all those familiar people including the teachers! A preschool in Navi Mumbai encourages children with their parents to visit their campus to experience it first-hand. This way, when they start on day one, the school will be a familiar place.

2. Make friends beforehand:

If possible, arrange a play date with other parents whose children you may have classes with at your child’s school to help acquaint your kids with each other. This can relieve some of the pressure when it comes time to meet their new classmates and will allow them to get to know each other before school in order to have great first few weeks together.

3. Read books and pretend play school together at home:

Preparation is key if you want to make learning an easier transition for your child – let them be their own teacher! When you read books with your child, you can help them build up their confidence for starting playschool by learning new words and improving their pronunciation.

Another great way is to start using pretend play to get your child used to the idea of playschool. You can take turns acting out like the story time, singing songs, and nap time, later switching up the roles and letting your child be the teacher. By doing this, you are helping build your child’s confidence and teaching them that a school is a fun place! An added benefit to using pretend play is that it minimizes any anxiety on day one of going to school since they have now gotten used to what their surroundings will be like at the given moment.

1. Share your experience:

Tell your child stories about your first day of school, how you felt, or what special things happened that helped make learning fun. Find some preschool photos of yourself and talk with your child about them.

2. Start a new routine:

Design an effective routine that is aimed toward your child getting the required amount of sleep they need. Establish a bedtime routine several weeks before school begins. Some examples of such routines can include setting up a time to review homework before sleeping or waking your child up earlier than expected the next day so that you can have breakfast together, and have them get dressed early.

With the above tips, one can make their child’s transition from home to play school easy and smooth. Saying goodbye to your child when the time comes is never easy, but try to make it quick and positive, reassuring the child. Before you know they will mix up in their small world in no time!