Tips For Preparing Your Child For Preschool

Posted on: 8 April 2016

If you are thinking about sending your child to preschool, you are making the decision to give your child a leg-up in kindergarten and classes to follow. Your child will learn the basics of his or her numbers and letters, as well as how to socialize appropriately with other children his or her own age. Here are some tips for making sure that your child is ready to go to preschool.

1. Make Sure That the Toilet Skills Are Strong

It is not enough for your child to just be toilet-trained. For most preschools, your child will need to be able to pull down his or her pants, use the toilet, and then pull his or her pants back on. In order to help your child get to this point of competency, you need to start slowly withdrawing bathroom support a few months before preschool starts. This will allow your child to develop independence. To increase your child's chances of success and therefore his or her willingness to keep trying and not get discouraged, make sure that your child has pants that are easy to pull on and off and reward your child when he or she is able to complete all of the tasks associated with going to the bathroom.

2. Read to Your Child

Make sure that you spend some time each day reading to your child. This will allow him or her to get used to sitting still for several minutes at a time without interrupting, a necessary skill in preschool. You also want to use this reading time to help get your child used to seeing the letters and to start recognizing certain letters. Finally, reading to your child will help pique his or her interest in books and reading and will therefore make him or her more interested in learning the letters necessary for the task. This will help your child make the most of his or her time in preschool.

3. Have Friends Over

Finally, be sure that you give your child the opportunity to interact with other children. Get him or her used to sharing toys, playing with others, and making compromises before he or she hits preschool because this will make the transition easier and allow him or her to spend the time honing socialization skills, rather than attempting to learn them for the first time.

For more information, talk to the preschool at which your child is going to attend, like North End Montessori School.

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