5 Tips for a Smooth Preschool Transition

Sending your little one off to preschool for the first time can be tough!

Oftentimes, this is their first time away from home for so many hours at a time. This can cause anxiety for us parents as well as in the children! Here are five tips to make the transition easier.

1. Positive Attitude Goes a Long Way!

Leading up to their first day, stay positive!!! Make sure you talk about things they will experience with joy and enthusiasm! Remember, kids tend to feed off their parent’s emotions. They are looking to you for cues on how to react to a situation. So, if you keep your cool, there is a better chance they will too.

2. Visit Ahead of Time

Take advantage of any opportunity to visit the school, classroom and to meet the teacher. If you miss it because you are on vacation or for other reasons, plan for a private meeting. It is crucial children see their new spaces ahead of time in a non-stressful and enjoyable way – with parents in tow. Most schools and teachers will be happy to comply with these requests.

3. Learn the Daily Routine

Find out what you can about the daily routine of the classroom. You can then spend time talking through the routine leading up to their first day. This lets them know what to expect. Knowing what to expect lowers children’s anxiety levels and gives them things to look forward to and plan for. (Bonus idea- point out things in your day that they don’t like that they won’t have to do when they’re at school.) 

4. Mission (Not) Impossible

On the first day- give them a mission or job to do.  For example, be a reporter and report back what book they read, learn one friend’s name, name favorite game they played, etc… Give him a new job each day. This gives them purpose and focus. It helps to categorize the chaos for their young minds and gives them something easy to accomplish. This is important when all the new demands are a bit tricky to find success with at first.

5. Same Old, Same Old

At first, make after school time as routine as possible. Going to school is exhausting. Having a set after-school routine will lift any burdens of stress or anxiety. Both of which are even harder to deal with when one is overtired! This will help to avoid a few evening meltdowns. Often creating a calm and relaxing atmosphere for them to return to can be a life saver. Of course we want to hear all about their day. But if you can contain your curiosity it is better to wait to ask for details about their day. The first thing they need is to decompress and re-energize. Holding off on our barrage of questions gives them time to process the whirlwind that was their day. If they offer information, you can probe further but give them space to come to that moment on their own.

Final Thoughts

• Facebook
• Mail
• Print