Toddlers Baby pbs baby
Source: PBS/Pixabay

How To Prepare Your Toddler For School

Toddlers who attend school for the first time are anxious. Parents can placate the anxieties of kids by preparing them mentally before admitting them in school. Home to school is a transitioning time for kids. Separation anxiety and many other mental and emotional issues of children need to be addressed before you admit them in preschool. Peer pressure develops at a younger. You have to monitor and watch your child before and after admitting them in school. 

Address conflicting thoughts and emotions

Let your child ask you all kinds of doubts before you answer them. Encourage them and guide them about the positive side of starting school, meeting new people, and making new friends. Help them understand how staying away from parents for a while and learning new things can be fun. Spend more time with your kids and help them understand it is alright to stay a few hours away from home and parents. You have to understand that kids can get anxious and become difficult when it comes to starting school. 

At this transition stage, your child could have many varying emotions that they might not always be able to address. You have to figure them out and make them feel comfortable about everything that is going to happen when they join the school. Their minds must be conditioned months before joining the school to get comfortable being friends with other kids. This prepares them to address change without being too anxious and makes them feel comfortable in a new environment with new people. 

Related: 10 Things Parents Should Know Before Joining Their Kids In School

Help them develop self-help skills

Minor things like eating using utensils from their lunch box, drinking water without spilling, placing the coat on the hanger, unfastening and fastening shoes, and organizing the backpack are some of the things you can teach your child to do on their own. They can learn to be independent and start learning to do a few things on their own without the need for any assistance. Make a mock play of school and teach them how to sit, how to eat, and how to behave with others. 

childrens-books-about-self-esteem

Related: What Parents Need to Check Before School Admission?

Visit the pre-school a few times before you start

To make your kid comfortable, visit the preschool with kids, play with them and help them get comfortable with the environment of the school, kids, and teachers. This is the easiest way to make your kids feel comfortable in a new environment where they will spend a few hours daily. Address all of their questions and concerns and get them prepared for joining a preschool. 

Notice their body language and address their anxieties

Children at this stage could get anxious easily about small issues. Do not neglect any of their fears or concerns even if they seem flimsy. They could take a toll on their mental and emotional health should you not be a good listener and address all of their concerns. A child is not mature enough to understand their feelings and may not be able to express all that they feel. Always look for non-verbal signs to understand if there are any underlying concerns and address them. If you see your child ‘acting out’ in any way such as being angry, isolated, withdrawn, or clinging more to you, it may be a matter of concern. Your kid could move back to being babies if and expect you to take care of things such as dressing them up, feeding them, etc even if they can do it themselves if there are any hidden issues they are facing. 

They are going back to the baby stage of being fed and comforted because they are anxious and insecure about something and need to be comforted. If they show any of the regressive signs, spend more time with them and boost their self-worth and confidence to handle day-to-day situations themselves. 

Related: Step by step guide to choose the right school for your child

Patience pays along way

You have to keep your problems and frustrations aside and address the problems of your kids with patience. This is a milestone for them and it requires your time and patience to let them be on their own with a little support. When they know you are there anytime they have emotional troubles, conflicts, or fights, they feel secure and become more confident and less regressive. 

You have to teach them to handle conflicts constructively without letting them lose their cool, feeling anxious, or acting out. You have to teach them emotional control and provide insights to help them develop wisdom and be calmer and less anxious in all situations. Pre-school is a milestone and a big transition in the life of your child. You have to be there for them constantly to provide the assurance and let them placate anxiety and be more confident. 

mother-with-her-little-son-having-fun-park-indian-parents-talks

Related: Advantages; Disadvantages of sending your child to preschool

Preparation for the pre-school

Stick labels to all the items inside the backpack of your child. It makes it easier for them to recognize their items. Notify teaches and the school if your child is on medication or has special needs. During the early days of school, be in touch with your kid during the daytime and afternoon. Tell your child how they will be dropped and picked up from school. Be accessible to your child anytime they need, no matter how busy your schedule is. Let them get used to a schedule much before they start school so they have a routine for waking up, lunch, study, and bedtime. 

Related: Best time to start pre-school for your kids

Conclusion

Admitting your kid to a preschool can be a big transition for them. Be there for them with patience, nurture them and take steps to teach them to be independent in your absence. Address all of their concerns and monitor them for any signs of concerns. Be accessible to them and talk to them daily about everything they do at school. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *