Advice To Help Your Child Adapt To Preschool

Do you want to help your child adapt to preschool?

If you have made the difficult decision to send your child to a preschool, you are probably worried about whether your child will survive, what it will learn there and how it will be treated. Your protective instincts take over and make you mad with anxiety.

There is no magic formula for making children enjoy going to and adapting to preschool. We must remember that they did not ask to go there. It will probably not be easy for them to get used to it.

Even if there is no formula, you can make sure to inform yourself. Therefore, we have collected some tips that can help your child adapt to preschool better and faster.

Tips to help your child adjust to preschool

Predict what will happen

If you explain to the child what will happen, he will begin to understand the process much earlier. You can explain what a preschool is and what usually happens there by using dolls, or you can pretend and play together.

You can pretend to be an educator or teacher and you guide your child through everything you do in a preschool. The more you do it with him, the faster he will thrive in preschool and it will become something completely normal for him.

You have to give it time

Two things can go really wrong when your child is enrolled in preschool. The first is that the teachers are too strict and do not have a flexible period for the child to adapt to. The second is that the parents, due to the job and lack of time, can not spend the time required on a good schooling.

In general, children do not adapt in a few hours or days to a completely new environment. Therefore, we must try to give them the time they need to get to know their new caregivers, their new friends and feel safe in their new environment.

Always say hello then

Many children feel abandoned in preschool. If you leave the child there and suddenly disappear, the abandonment is the first feeling he will feel and associate with the preschool.

That is why it is very important to say hello to your child. Tell the child clearly that you will return later to pick him up. He will probably cry to begin with. However, he should soon calm down and know that he will soon see you again. Always say hello then.

Many parents simply sneak out so that the child does not see them walking, but it only gives them difficulties in the long run. Never leave the place without saying hello to your child.

Be understanding

We must be as understanding and empathetic as we can. It is important that we familiarize ourselves with their situation and try to understand what they are feeling and the radical change they are undergoing.

If the child asks for more love and closeness when you are home again, give it to him. He will then feel that you still love him.

Remember that it is very important to support him in this process. He needs you to be able to adapt properly.

Build trust with educators

It is important for the child to see that we have a good relationship with the educators and teachers. They need to see that we trust them and get along well with them.

It’s good for them to see us talking to them in a friendly way, just so they realize they’re not strangers.

It helps the child feel more secure. It also calms us down to get to know those who will take care of our child while we are not there.

Have a positive and happy attitude

Even if it is also a difficult time for you, you should be happy and positive before your child is enrolled in preschool.

If the child may feel more anxious than usual or may not be sure of the situation, he or she may also feel uncomfortable and insecure.

Send with an extension item

A good way to help your child adjust to preschool is to let him bring his favorite toy there. That way, the child will feel that he or she has something that connects him or her with the home and the security there.

It will give the child confidence and security in the transition process. The child will soon feel very safe and happy there.

Signs of poor adaptation to preschool

It is possible that your child will not adapt so well to preschool, and then you should pay attention to the signs. You need to try to support your child to make him feel safer.

Some of the signs of poor adaptation to preschool are:

• He’s too dependent on you. If he adapts poorly, he can hold on to you much more when you leave preschool. If it happens over a long period of time, you should try to correct it.
• He’s sad all day. If the educators inform you that he cries all day, that he does not play and when you arrive he just wants to be in your arms.
• He does not sleep well during the first weeks. He may have difficulty sleeping. This may mean that he can not process today’s experiences in a good way.
• He can have big mood swings. You may notice changes in his mood and that he becomes disobedient.

• He may not develop as he should. He may start asking for his baby bottle again, start eating poorly or resume the habits he had when he was a baby. The most important thing about the child’s adaptation to the new environment is that we as parents must understand, guide and support him in the process.

A good experience to learn from

It will not be easy, neither for him nor for you. But it may still be a decision you have to make for the sake of your work or for personal reasons. In addition, it may be the first contact your child has with outsiders.

But if we meet it in a positive way, it will be a good experience for both you and your child. Especially if you follow all the advice to make it as smooth as possible.