Tips for a Happy Preschooler

Ask your child about their feelings-both the excitement and the concerns about starting school. Discuss those feelings, but also show your child how excited you are for them to experience this new stage of their life!

Prepare the night before. Have their uniform set out, begin bedtime at a reasonable hour, have the breakfast menu decided, lunch packed, and alarm set to allow plenty of extra time for a calm, unhurried breakfast and morning.

Discuss the first day's routine the night before, the morning of, and again at drop off, so they know exactly what to expect. Let them know when you'll be back and that you'll be looking forward to hearing about their first day of school! This will hopefully ease some anxieties.

Be positive at drop off. Once you get to school, keep it positive-even if you have a lump in your throat. Kids are sensitive to their parent's feelings. If you are anxious, they will be too!

Plan some fun! Brainstorm ideas of how to celebrate when their first day of school is over:  going to the park, getting ice cream, having a family game night, etc. Knowing this plan is in place will help get you and your child through the initial stressors of that day.

Please be patient for the first 2 weeks of Preschool! During this time the children are getting acclimated to their new teacher, friends, and the classroom routines and procedures. I promise that things will be much easier with time!