Do A Site Visit
Bring your child to the preschool that he’ll be attending. The teachers will welcome the opportunity to meet your child and show him around. This will give your child a better idea of what preschool is and where he’ll be going. If you can, take a camera with you and take some photos. This will help your child remember what he saw, and he’ll be able to show off his new school to friends and relatives.
Make sure you hit the playground and the bathroom while you are there so she knows where these very important places are. Let her test them both out. If your child wears pants with buttons, make sure she knows how to undue them so she doesn’t get stressed when she has to go to the bathroom. Find out from the teachers if they have a schedule in place. Will the children take naps? You may want to have your child lie down at the same time. What types of snack do they serve? Pick up the same stuff at the grocery store. When you get home, talk about what you saw. Encourage your child to share his thoughts with you, either by talking or even by drawing a picture.
If you can visit the school more than once, do it. And be sure to smile whenever you are there. If your child sees that you are happy, they are likely to follow your example and smile too.Some schools even arrange for a home visit by the preschool teacher. This may be something you’d like to take advantage of. Having the teacher come to your child’s home turf may make your little one feel more at ease.
Retail Therapy
Hit the back-to-school sales. Letting your child pick out her own backpack and school supplies like crayons and safety scissors (even if they aren’t needed at school) will make her feel like a big kid. Let her choose an outfit or two, picking something special to wear on the first day.
If she wants to use her new swag right away go ahead and let her. The more comfortable she feels, the better. In fact, it’s a good idea to have her practice zipping and unzipping her backpack and lunchbox until she gets the hang of it. Have her practice with her coat as well.
Pack the backpack with some small comfort items -- a beloved stuffed animals or a favorite family photo. If your child is staying for lunch, be sure to pack an easy-to-decipher note (draw a picture of a heart or a smiley face) and put lots of stickers on it.
Make Your Home School-Ready
About a week before the big day, start putting your child to bed at her regular, school bedtime. And wake her up at the time you would when she goes to school. Go through the whole routine from bed making to teeth brushing to breakfast. Anything that you want done before you leave. This will help your child’s internal clock set and get on a school schedule.
Find out from the teachers at your site visit -- is there a particular song they sing at cleanup time? Is there a hand washing routine before snack or lunch? Incorporate all of these schedule nuances into your own day. It will make the transition much easier for your preschooler.
Pre-pack your child's backpack and pick out the first day of school outfit. If she’ll be brining lunch and/or snack, now is a good time to figure out what will go in the lunchbox either the day before or that morning.
It’s normal for both you and your preschooler to feel some apprehension as the first day of preschool approaches but before you know it, the last day of preschool will be on the horizon. Time does pass quickly -- wasn't your child just born last week?
