How to Prep Toddlers for Preschool

Preschool can be an exhilarating yet daunting experience for both you and your child. As you introduce them to a new environment, challenges will certainly arise. They need to adapt to the changes quickly so they can learn to enjoy the experience so they grow to become well-rounded adults. 

However, no matter how difficult the adjustment may be, you’ll be able to successfully overcome it together by learning what you need to do to prepare your toddler. Here are a few tips to help you do just that:

• Encourage independence

Enrolling your toddler in a daycare facility (where they’ll stay for a couple of hours) may seem like an ordeal for both parent and their child. Fearing that their toddler may be unable to handle the stress, doting parents tend to stay outside of the room at all times or inside the room if they can.

This behaviour can be damaging to your child’s development as it may lead to the development of attachment issues. To ensure that your child will be able to handle the temporary separation when they enter the daycare, you need to nurture a sense of independence beforehand.

This sense of independence should be ingrained mentally and emotionally into your child through activities that will help them practice self-autonomy. At home, they should be encouraged to verbalize what they want.

You can also teach them tasks like tying their shoes or wearing their clothes. This can already lead to a feeling of accomplishment that will feed their sense of independence. The more your toddler appreciates independence, the more excited they are to go to preschool where they will learn more things.

• Build their resilience
  

The best way for your toddler to cope with any environmental or social change is to learn resilience. One way that you can foster resilience is through games. Playing games is an entertaining and educational experience for your toddlers. 

By playing with them, you’ll be able to nurture their emotional growth and strength and enable them to react more positively to stressful stimuli. It also fosters values like cooperation, friendly competition, fairness, and rule-following. 

It’s also a more effective method of building resilience because you’ll be able to teach them that winning and losing is just part of life. Games that involve colourful cards, balls, and blocks are useful instruments that will help develop the mechanical and cognitive skills of your child. 

• Teach and train them about hygiene and proper habits
  

A big part of toddler training at home, which will later be reinforced during preschool, is hygiene habits. These practices will include the appropriate actions that your child should take while eating, playing, and going on potty breaks.

Teaching your child to self-clean and groom themselves is a great way to develop identity-building and independence. Furthermore, it also helps them avoid getting infected with viruses that they are exposed to in the classroom or playground. Table manners should be practiced at home, and verbalizing the need for a potty break should be encouraged.  

• Playact the necessary skills and activities
  

Playacting real-life situations are an excellent method of teaching your toddler the appropriate reactions.

By using one of their favourite stories or characters, you’ll be able to connect with them better, allowing you to communicate these integral lessons more easily. You can reverse roles during this game. They will act as the teacher and you as the student, and vice versa.

Doing this will help your toddler take cues in how you act it out and learn from your advice on what they can and can’t do with their role. Teach them the necessary actions, such as how they should ask permission when they need to go to the bathroom, how to ride the bus, how they will be picked up, and how they should never talk to strangers. 

Activities such as singing songs while cleaning, tying their shoes, brushing their teeth, or reading stories that impart valuable lessons are also helpful methods of learning. 

• Talk about preschool
  

Toddlers who have no idea what to expect during their first days in their preschool are the ones who act out the most when the time comes. As you prepare your child for school, make sure to ask them how they actually feel about going to school. If they feel apprehensive, reassure them and provide them with positive reinforcement. 

• Do preschool shopping together

If your child is feeling a bit apprehensive about their first day at preschool, one of the best ways to distract them from those negative emotions is to take them with you to shop for preschool items. Doing so will help you bond with them and stimulate the excitement of this new environment.

This is also the perfect time for your child to learn about themselves as well. They will have the chance to exercise their preferences when it comes to their bags, clothes, notebooks, and other necessary school items. Make sure to also check the list that the school has provided so you won’t forget any requirements. 

• Let them visit and play at the preschool
  

One of the best ways to handle and deal with a new environment is to actually see and interact with it beforehand.

To ease your toddler into this new environment, arrange a tour and take your toddler to the preschool weeks before their actual classes. This will give them a better idea of what to expect when the real first day comes.

You can let them observe other toddlers in the preschool and point out that they are having fun even if their parents are not present. Having them play in the playground can also encourage feelings of excitement and familiarity, which will help them greatly as they cope with all the new stimuli.

• Adjust their daily routines

Preschool entails a whole new set of rules, activities, and schedules for your child. To help them deal with the sudden change of routine, request a copy of the school’s schedule beforehand so you can simulate a school day at home.

You need to adjust their nap and sleeping times as well. Doing so will help your toddler understand that there’s a time and place for every activity that they want to do, thus fostering disciplined behaviour. 

Montessori schools often build their teachings on the basic tenets of learning by doing. As you prepare your toddlers for preschool, you’ll be able to better teach them how to adapt to this new environment by practicing the social skills that they’ll need. 

Enroll your toddler at the nearest Karter School. We offer Montessori-based education for children of all ages. To sign your child up for our toddler program, call us now at the following numbers:

• Cascades (703) 430-8657
• South Riding (703) 327-2003
• Gainesville (703) 754-0946