Helping Your Child Take Well To Preschool

Sending your child off to preschool for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience. It’s likely that both you and your child are feeling separation anxiety and that your kid would rather continue to stay in the predictable, secure cocoon of warmth and love you provide at home. Yet, in order to learn, grow, develop and explore, it is important that your child takes a step out of home and learns to be on their own. Preschool is the first step that a child takes into the big and possibly overwhelming world out there. You can help make this transition comfortable and joyful by keeping a few things in mind.

Helping your child adjust to preschool

·         Assure them that you’ll be back to pick them up

One of the biggest fears of a child who’s just started attending preschool is that their parents won’t be back to get them or that they may even disappear off the face of Earth! It can be hard for a child as young as two to four years of age to feel secure on their own and learn to trust complete strangers.

You can help quell your child’s concerns by saying something reassuring at the time of dropping them off at preschool, such as, “I will come back to pick you up at 3, like I always do” or “I will be right here when you step out of class at 3”.

·         Invite your child’s peers over to a playdate

Helping your child bond with other children at the preschool can make your child look forward to going to preschool. You can ask your kid if there’s any particular child they like and would like to invite for a playdate. You may also invite your child’s friend and his/her parents to dinner to facilitate bonding between your child and their newfound friend.

·         Help your child feel secure

When at home, give plenty of time to your child to listen to how their day went. Snuggle and embrace your child often so that they feel emotionally secure and connected to you. An emotionally stable environment at home tends to positively affect a child’s temperament and self-esteem.

Choosing a good preschool for your child can help provide them with an environment that is conducive to their growth and development. Williamsburg Northside Preschool in Brooklyn, New York, is known to take a multi-sensory approach to meet the varying needs of each child. 

Williamsburg Northside Preschool encourages children to engage with and express themselves through a variety of media, including paint, clay, collage, natural & recycled materials, music and dance.