Starting preschool for the first time can be a challenging transition. For many moms, this could be one of the first times they are dropping their kids off in a classroom setting for the first time. But with some simple prep, you and your child will feel at ease taking that first step into independence and sending them off to preschool for the first time!
Guide to Preparing for Preschool
Talk It Through With Your Child
Ask your child questions about how they feel about school and talk through their worries and emotions with them. Validate their fear and nerves as much as you can while still gently reassuring them that school is a fun place. Maybe even share your own first day of school experiences with them and how you felt to help them feel even more connected and validated.
Reach out to their teacher and get information on the structure of a normal school day. Talk them through what a day of school will look like. Get them excited about the kinds of fun things they will learn. Talk about snack time, playing on the playground and anything else you know your child will look forward to.
Plan a Preschool Visit
A lot of schools will have a meet the teacher event, but if there isn’t one established, ask about visiting the school so that you and your child can get familiar with the school’s environment. Familiarize them with where everything is located in the school. Let them play on the playground equipment. See if you can set up a time for your child to meet their teacher. This was a total game changer for us when my son was nervous about starting school. We met his teacher, without classmates, in his actual classroom so that on the first day it didn’t feel so overwhelming when the other kids were mixed into the equation.
Pack Something From Home
See if your teacher will allow you to send something comforting to your child from home.
My son’s class allowed a stuffie/lovie for nap time which was a huge comfort for him and helped him feel a sense of normalcy.
Practice Saying Goodbye
Do a mock drop off so that your child will know exactly what to expect on the first day of school. It can be as simple as you walking them out to your front porch, giving them a hug, and then shutting the door so they can get a feel and expectation for how brief the exchange will be.
Several months before school starts, you could even try dropping your child off somewhere and gradually increasing time you’re away to help ease separation anxiety.
Another element of the art of the “goodbye” is making it brief and as positive as possible. Try your best not to hover or to even enter the classroom at all. This can be so hard to do when emotions are running high, and all of your mommy instincts are telling you to scoop them up, but I promise you it will only heighten the situation! One tactic that worked really well for us with drop offs was diverting our son’s attention to something fun in the classroom that we knew he loved, especially toys that we didn’t have at home. “Oh look buddy! Check out that awesome train table! We don’t have that at our house! How cool! How long of a track do you think you could make?” It helped motivate him to enter the classroom on his own almost every time.
Read Books Together
There are SO many books out there and available at your local library that feature your kids’ favorite characters tackling their first day of school. My son was so comforted reading about Pete the Cat and Daniel Tiger also feeling nervous on their first day of school and the things they did to feel better. Seeing those characters start out feeling anxious and then by the end of the book talking about all of the things they loved about their school day helps deliver the message that school isn’t scary. It also inevitably opens up the door for so many awesome conversations to happen between you and your child.
When it comes down to it, starting school is a huge transition for your toddler. You will know the best way to help your child with that change. The biggest factor is to give them plenty of time to mentally and emotionally prepare and to validate their fears while encouraging them that trying new things! Enjoy this sweet time with your babies and relish in this milestone, mamas!
