How to help your child to adjust in preschool?
Preschool offers many benefits. It can be a great place for kids to interact with peers and learn valuable life lessons such as how to share, take turns, and follow rules. It also can prepare them academically for kindergarten and beyond.
But going to preschool does come with some emotions, for both the parent and the child. For a child, entering a new preschool environment filled with unfamiliar teachers and kids can cause both anxiety and excitement. Parents might have mixed emotions about whether their child is ready for preschool.
Getting comfortable with your decision and the preschool setting can help you and your child feel ready.
Easing Your Child's Fears
Spend time talking with your child about preschool before it starts. In the months and weeks before school, gradually introduce your child to activities that often take place in a classroom. A child who's used to scribbling with paper and crayons at home, for example, will find it comforting to discover the crayons and paper in the preschool classroom.
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Visit the preschool classroom with your child a few times before school starts. This can ease concerns about this unfamiliar territory. Visiting is also a chance to meet your child's teacher and ask questions about routines and common activities. You can introduce some of those routines and activities at home so they become familiar.
While you're in the classroom, let your child explore and observe the class and choose whether to interact with other kids. This helps familiarize kids with the classroom and lets them explore the new toys they'll play with when school starts.
You can also ask how the teacher handles the first tear-filled days. How will the first week be structured to make the transition smooth for your child?
While acknowledging this important step your child is taking and providing support, too much emphasis on the change could make any anxiety worse. Young kids can pick up on their parents' nonverbal cues. When parents feel guilty or worried about leaving their child at school, the kids will probably sense that.
The more calm and assured you are about your choice to send your child to preschool, the more confident your child will be.
The First Day
When you enter the classroom on the first day, calmly reintroduce the teacher to your child, then step back to allow the teacher to begin forming a relationship with your child. Your endorsement of the teacher will show your child that he or she will be happy and safe in the teacher's care.
Dinosaur Activities For Preschoolers Science
If your child clings to you or refuses to participate in the class, don't get upset — this may only upset your child more. Always say a loving goodbye to your child, but once you do, leave promptly. Don't sneak out. As tempting as it may be, leaving without saying goodbye can make kids feel abandoned. A long farewell, on the other hand, might only reinforce a child's sense that preschool is a bad place.
A consistent and predictable farewell routine can make leaving easier. Some parents wave from outside the classroom window or make a funny goodbye face, while others have a special handshake before parting. Transitional objects — a family picture, a special doll, or a favorite blanket — can also help comfort a child. Also, keep in mind that most kids do well after their parents leave.
Whether your child is eager or reluctant to go to preschool, make sure that a school staff member is ready to help with the transfer when you arrive. Some kids may jump right in with their classmates, while others might want a private cuddle from a caregiver before joining the group.
Many preschools begin with a daily ritual, such as circle time (when teachers and children talk about what they did the day before and the activities that are ahead for the day). Preschoolers tend to respond to this kind of predictability, and following a routine will help ease the move from home to school.
Why Do Preschoolers Need to Play?
Preschoolers can be unstoppable — running, spinning, leaping, and climbing at every opportunity. Their desire to move, move, move makes this a great time to encourage fitness habits that will last.
Kids need to be fit for the same reasons adults do: to improve their health and make sure that their bodies can do what they need them to do. Regular exercise helps kids grow, builds strong muscles and bones, develops important motor skills, and boosts self-esteem.
counting toys for 3 year olds
How Can I keep My Preschooler Active?
So what should parents and caregivers do? You probably already know what will motivate this age group best: fun.
To keep active time fun, know what activities are best for your child's age group and make having a good time the top priority. For instance, preschoolers might groan if you drag them on a boring walk around an exercise track. But if you walk through the woods, stopping to admire nature and tossing rocks into a stream, the walk is much more appealing.
Understanding which skills your child has — and is working on — is another key to keeping it fun. You can have a great time kicking the ball back and forth together, but your child probably wouldn't have much fun if put into a soccer game with all the rules enforced.
Fun Away From Home
Look for chances to be active away from home. At a childcare center or preschool, do kids have access to a playground or large indoor space for play? The games and equipment don't need to be fancy. Kids enjoy simple games, such as catch and tag, playing with plastic bats and balls, dancing, and tumbling. And they still love to play "Duck, Duck, Goose," "London Bridge," "I'm a Little Teapot," or "Simon Says."
Preschoolers are working on skills such as hopping, balancing on one foot, throwing and catching balls, pedaling tricycles, and skipping. When kids learn these basic skills now, it builds confidence and makes it more likely that they'll continue to be physically active as they grow up. Try for at least 60 minutes of structured (adult-led) physical activity a day.
Dinosaur Activities For Preschoolers Science
Free Time
A little freedom also can motivate preschoolers to be active. Though some of their physical activity should be structured and led by a parent or caregiver, it pays to let them take the lead sometimes. Help your preschooler get at least 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity (free play) a day.
Active free play means letting kids choose the activity and make decisions about what to do — all within a safe and supervised environment, of course. This could include exploring the backyard, running around the playground, or playing dress-up.
During pretend play, preschoolers often like to take on a gender-specific role because they're beginning to identify with members of the same sex. A girl, for instance, might pretend to be her mother by "working" in the garden, while a boy might mimic his father by "cutting" the lawn.
Parents Play an Important Role
One important message here is that your preschooler is clearly keeping an eye on how you spend your time, so set a good example by exercising regularly. Your child will pick up on this as something parents do and will naturally want to do it too.
toddler speech delay exercises
Other ways you can encourage physical activity:
Limit screen time. Allow no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of quality programming on TVs, tablets, and other devices. Though lots of computer programs are marketed to preschoolers, none are necessary for their development. If you decide to allow computer use, carefully choose the software and the websites your child can visit.
Keep it fun. Help find activities your child likes and then offer many chances to enjoy them. Keep equipment and supplies on hand and, if possible, within easy reach for your preschooler.
But going to preschool does come with some emotions, for both the parent and the child. For a child, entering a new preschool environment filled with unfamiliar teachers and kids can cause both anxiety and excitement. Parents might have mixed emotions about whether their child is ready for preschool.
Getting comfortable with your decision and the preschool setting can help you and your child feel ready.
Easing Your Child's Fears
Spend time talking with your child about preschool before it starts. In the months and weeks before school, gradually introduce your child to activities that often take place in a classroom. A child who's used to scribbling with paper and crayons at home, for example, will find it comforting to discover the crayons and paper in the preschool classroom.
toddler speech delay exercises
Visit the preschool classroom with your child a few times before school starts. This can ease concerns about this unfamiliar territory. Visiting is also a chance to meet your child's teacher and ask questions about routines and common activities. You can introduce some of those routines and activities at home so they become familiar.
While you're in the classroom, let your child explore and observe the class and choose whether to interact with other kids. This helps familiarize kids with the classroom and lets them explore the new toys they'll play with when school starts.
You can also ask how the teacher handles the first tear-filled days. How will the first week be structured to make the transition smooth for your child?
While acknowledging this important step your child is taking and providing support, too much emphasis on the change could make any anxiety worse. Young kids can pick up on their parents' nonverbal cues. When parents feel guilty or worried about leaving their child at school, the kids will probably sense that.
The more calm and assured you are about your choice to send your child to preschool, the more confident your child will be.
The First Day
When you enter the classroom on the first day, calmly reintroduce the teacher to your child, then step back to allow the teacher to begin forming a relationship with your child. Your endorsement of the teacher will show your child that he or she will be happy and safe in the teacher's care.
Dinosaur Activities For Preschoolers Science
If your child clings to you or refuses to participate in the class, don't get upset — this may only upset your child more. Always say a loving goodbye to your child, but once you do, leave promptly. Don't sneak out. As tempting as it may be, leaving without saying goodbye can make kids feel abandoned. A long farewell, on the other hand, might only reinforce a child's sense that preschool is a bad place.
A consistent and predictable farewell routine can make leaving easier. Some parents wave from outside the classroom window or make a funny goodbye face, while others have a special handshake before parting. Transitional objects — a family picture, a special doll, or a favorite blanket — can also help comfort a child. Also, keep in mind that most kids do well after their parents leave.
Whether your child is eager or reluctant to go to preschool, make sure that a school staff member is ready to help with the transfer when you arrive. Some kids may jump right in with their classmates, while others might want a private cuddle from a caregiver before joining the group.
Many preschools begin with a daily ritual, such as circle time (when teachers and children talk about what they did the day before and the activities that are ahead for the day). Preschoolers tend to respond to this kind of predictability, and following a routine will help ease the move from home to school.
Why Do Preschoolers Need to Play?
Preschoolers can be unstoppable — running, spinning, leaping, and climbing at every opportunity. Their desire to move, move, move makes this a great time to encourage fitness habits that will last.
Kids need to be fit for the same reasons adults do: to improve their health and make sure that their bodies can do what they need them to do. Regular exercise helps kids grow, builds strong muscles and bones, develops important motor skills, and boosts self-esteem.
counting toys for 3 year olds
How Can I keep My Preschooler Active?
So what should parents and caregivers do? You probably already know what will motivate this age group best: fun.
To keep active time fun, know what activities are best for your child's age group and make having a good time the top priority. For instance, preschoolers might groan if you drag them on a boring walk around an exercise track. But if you walk through the woods, stopping to admire nature and tossing rocks into a stream, the walk is much more appealing.
Understanding which skills your child has — and is working on — is another key to keeping it fun. You can have a great time kicking the ball back and forth together, but your child probably wouldn't have much fun if put into a soccer game with all the rules enforced.
Fun Away From Home
Look for chances to be active away from home. At a childcare center or preschool, do kids have access to a playground or large indoor space for play? The games and equipment don't need to be fancy. Kids enjoy simple games, such as catch and tag, playing with plastic bats and balls, dancing, and tumbling. And they still love to play "Duck, Duck, Goose," "London Bridge," "I'm a Little Teapot," or "Simon Says."
Preschoolers are working on skills such as hopping, balancing on one foot, throwing and catching balls, pedaling tricycles, and skipping. When kids learn these basic skills now, it builds confidence and makes it more likely that they'll continue to be physically active as they grow up. Try for at least 60 minutes of structured (adult-led) physical activity a day.
Dinosaur Activities For Preschoolers Science
Free Time
A little freedom also can motivate preschoolers to be active. Though some of their physical activity should be structured and led by a parent or caregiver, it pays to let them take the lead sometimes. Help your preschooler get at least 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity (free play) a day.
Active free play means letting kids choose the activity and make decisions about what to do — all within a safe and supervised environment, of course. This could include exploring the backyard, running around the playground, or playing dress-up.
During pretend play, preschoolers often like to take on a gender-specific role because they're beginning to identify with members of the same sex. A girl, for instance, might pretend to be her mother by "working" in the garden, while a boy might mimic his father by "cutting" the lawn.
Parents Play an Important Role
One important message here is that your preschooler is clearly keeping an eye on how you spend your time, so set a good example by exercising regularly. Your child will pick up on this as something parents do and will naturally want to do it too.
toddler speech delay exercises
Other ways you can encourage physical activity:
Limit screen time. Allow no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of quality programming on TVs, tablets, and other devices. Though lots of computer programs are marketed to preschoolers, none are necessary for their development. If you decide to allow computer use, carefully choose the software and the websites your child can visit.
Keep it fun. Help find activities your child likes and then offer many chances to enjoy them. Keep equipment and supplies on hand and, if possible, within easy reach for your preschooler.
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