Tips to Prepare Your Shy Child for Preschool
If its time for your baby to head off to preschool as a parent, you're probably feeling a little nostalgic and a bit nervous for them. But, heading to preschool can be particularly nerve-wracking for your child, especially if he or she is a bit on the shy side.
There are lots of ways you can prepare your little one to get ready to tackle their big first day of school with confidence.
Talk it up
Boosting your child's confidence can be as easy as making preschool part of your everyday conversation. Make sure you talk about the things your specific kid will really enjoy. Maybe it will be story time with their teacher reading them a book or perhaps they would be most excited about the classroom pets.
For a lot of children, knowing that they get to play with other kids can be a significant relief. Sometimes they simply don't realize that there will be other children, just like them, who are also having their very first day of school.
Use your library card
To help your little one understand all the things that will happen at school, check some books out of your local library that detail what a day at school will be like.
Some good choices are listed here and here. Reading books and looking closely at pictures of what preschool looks like you can take a lot of the mystery, and thus the fear, away from preschool.
Visit school-like places
Sometimes knowing that mom and dad are not going to be there for the day is what makes children fear school. You can practice the idea of leaving your child at school by attending some places that are similar in aspect. Maybe your church has a Sunday school program for little people while the adults visit a service, your gym might have childcare available or perhaps your town has a drop-in childcare center where your child could spend short amounts of time to get used to the idea of saying goodbye to mom and dad.
Enlist the help of your family and friends
When your child video chats with grandma, or has lunch with an aunt, make sure they are in on the preschool conversation. It can be beneficial for a youngster to know that Aunt Katie went to preschool once too, or that grandpa thinks that snack time at preschool sounds delicious.
Play school
Playing pretend is a great way to get children familiar with a new routine. You can set up a mock preschool in your living room and let your child be the teacher. Role-playing is an excellent way for kids to understand how things work.
You can do the same if your child is anxious about other things too, like going to the dentist or attending a doctor's appointment. Acting scenarios out first, so your child knows what to expect is a great learning tool.
Visit your child's school
Take your child to visit the school they will be attending. Make sure to communicate with the teachers and staff ahead of time to see if there is a time when your child might be able to participate in something they are doing in class. Maybe you can go at snack time, or during outdoor play so that your little one can interact with other students and the teachers.
Or, schedule a private visit after school hours where your child can meet the teacher and talk to him or her to feel comfortable.
Visit several times if you need to. Don't feel uncomfortable asking to do so. Your child's happiness and security are important to you, and it should also be relevant to your child's teachers. When you are choosing a preschool, it should be a place that is willing to help you overcome your child's fears.
Come see Tots' Landing
At Tots' Landing, we want to make sure that your children are entirely prepared for the transition into preschool, especially if your little one is shy or a bit scared about what school will be like. Come and talk with our caring staff to learn more ideas on how to help your shy child transition into this new phase of your life. We can't wait to meet you!
Speak to our staff to help you determine the best ways to help your shy child prepare for this new phase in his or her life.
Call us today to get answers to your questions and learn more about our programs.