Preparing child for preschool or nursery can be a nerve wracking as well as fun experience for parents. Find how you can make this activity of preparing child for preschool or nursery a fun activity. Follow these tips and make it easier for your child to adjust with an ease in his new preschool or nursery.Every ‘firsts’ that you have with your child is sure to be a nervous and exciting one. So the first day of your child’s preschool or nursery calls for some extra preparations. It’s the time when your child will begin to learn something new in a new environment and emotions are sure to be on a high. The child will experience natural fears due to the unfamiliar place and as parents it’s your duty to ease out the fears and worries. Here are few tips that can smoothen out this vital transition phase and helps your child to have a delightful childhood in his first formal learning environment.
Teach the Basics
The time that the child has continuously spent with you after birth has helped him/her to learn some simple manners and actions. As you prepare your child, take note that a refresher course is just necessary as it is to help him learn a few things more. So some of the basics that you can now help him learn are –
- Taking turns in a group
- Developing the habit of listening to talk as well as instructions
- Showing patience while interacting with the teacher
It has been observed that by the time the child is brought into a preschool or a nursery, he is adept with these skills but as parents you can always make your child practice through role-playing or situational process.
Obtain Help from the Library
The library can offer you study materials and guideline sets on how you can prepare your child for preschool or nursery. These are reliable works of research by doctors and psycho analysts as well as accounts of teachers and parents.
You can learn by going through the cases and stories of others experiences and the fictional accounts that are written form a toddler&rsquos;s point of view can help you to realize that this initial fear regarding the preschool or nursery is not unique with your child but a common phenomenon. You can get ideas from these materials on how to further develop the basic skills and help your child consider this as an enjoyable learning phase.
Pretend and Build a Preschool or Nursery Environment
The environment that you provide to the child helps him to learn the proper way to interact in it. A real situation is always a better learning tool than sets of drab instructions. Children love to imitate and act out. So as they witness you behaving in a particular manner as you set up a preschool or nursery atmosphere, they can easily understand how they are expected to behave.
Set up small tables and chairs and bring in friends, they can even be unreal ones like your kids teddy or doll. Chart out routines that include the activities that your child is likely to follow in the preschool or nursery. Set up a reading time, drawing time, story telling time, snack time, fun time and rest time.
Make a Practice Session
Once you have zeroed in on a preschool or nursery and decided to admit your child on the same, pay a visit to the school with your child a couple of weeks ahead of actual admission. Help him to observe what the preschool or nursery is all about and the activities that take place there.
Meeting the teacher will remove the unfamiliarity factor and you can readily prepare your child in understanding what he will expect in there. This is known as a practice run or an acquaintance session that can immensely help the child to adjust to the change in environment and the routines.
Listen to what your Child has to Say.
Allow him to express his fears and worries and work on explaining patiently on how the preschool or nursery is going to be fun. Ensure a shield of comfort and assurance of your presence whenever your child needs you.
