Preparing Child for Preschool
Many parents have been checking in about the transition to preschool/kindergarten and impacts on their child’s sleep and behavior. As always, play-based, art, storytelling, and bonding activities help children transition to new routines. Here are a few tips and activities to support your child with the upcoming adjustment.
Visit the school
Many preschools will have a day to tour the classroom/school in the week before school begins. Giving your child an opportunity to see the class and teacher, even checking out the potty and playground, can help a child begin to adjust. Some preschools will even allow your child to play at the playground or use the potty. Inquire and see what sort of flexibility the school has with a visit.
Preschool book or picture
Write a “Preschool Book” and draw pictures of the following: teacher, new students/friends, potty, playground, snack time, lunch-time, nap time. Or simply draw a “day at school” picture and hang up your child’s bed and refer to the picture a few times per day. You can add new images to the picture as your child gets into their school routine: “Thank you for sharing about the Cuddle Corner at your school and the stuffed bear you like to hold. Do you want to add a picture of the stuffed bear to your ‘day at school’ picture?”
Pretend play
Act out going to school including the drop off, saying goodbye, making friends, having snack/lunch, listening to teacher, playing with friends, sitting down for group time, and going outside for play time. You can use stuffed animals and toys to tell the story and act it out. You can also bring up difficult feelings your child has been having at school drop off’s.
Schedule a play date
Some school programs permit the teacher to visit the child at their home for a play date. If the teacher is unable to schedule a play date, buddy up with another parent/child for a playdate. Recommend keeping up occasional playdates with x1-2 children from school during the school year.
Adjust your schedule
It can take a child days to weeks or longer to adjust to school. Plan your schedule accordingly and allow for more transition time in the morning as well as more time in the evening with bedtime routines. Some children have difficulty with self-regulation, intense emotions, and separation anxiety. This can pass quickly in as little as a few days for some children or last much longer, lasting weeks to a month. The intensity of your child’s feelings may also surprise you. Children who seemed “fine” with their school last year may now have developed some feelings, resistance, or anxiety at the start of new school year. Plan to be more available to make time for your child outside of school hours and especially at sleep time. Recommend adding in 5-10 min of Love Cup time each day!
Talk through feelings
Let’s face it, starting a new school can be a mix of feelings. Children may feel excited with new toys and new friends. There may be new and fun routines. Perhaps a class pet that your child is excited to meet. Even then, the school drop off may be the single biggest separation your child has had from you out of the house. So plan to talk through feelings such as fear, sadness, and anger. All of these feelings are fair game with the transition to school. The best time to talk about it isn’t in the car on the way to school. Better to save some time for snuggles (Love Cup!) after your child is home from school and has had a little time to transition.
Making sleep changes
If your child is having sleep issues plan on using my Two-Phase Child Sleep Method a few weeks before school starts. Or wait until you child has transitioned to the new school routine, usually 1-3 wks after school starts. If your child is having a difficult time transitioning, you may need to delay the start of sleep changes. Keep in mind that some children’s sleep may regress for a few nights to a few weeks after the start of school and some may regress right before school starts.
