How to overcome anxiety and prepare your baby for preschool? 7 unique tips for handling the initial days of preschool. 

Preschool can be a great place for the kids as they learn to interact with peers, teachers and learn some of the valuable lessons of life like- sharing, playing together, follow rules, and study. Besides preparing the kids in academics the preschool environment helps in shaping the overall personality of your children. Usually, parents and children have mixed emotions regarding the initial days of preschool. For a child, entering into a new environment filled with unfamiliar children and teachers makes them anxious and excited at times. Parents keep wondering about the adjustment of their little one in the new environment. Below mentioned are some tips that’ll help you to make your child comfortable during the initial days of their preschool:

• Make the preparation look effortless and have fun while doing it- A lot of things must be going on in your mind but you must keep all the efforts low key. If you are making a big deal of this new transition then you are making your child more uncomfortable.

• Use pretend play- You can explore the idea of preschool and try being a teacher and ask various questions to your child like- Say goodbye to mommy/daddy, taking permission before using the washroom, basic etiquettes of the classroom, not talking with other children during the presence of a teacher in a classroom, patiently wait for their turn after raising a hand, etc. Reassure your child that preschool will be a fun place and they can play in a big playground and can make lots of friends. During pretend play you must offer your child a meal in a lunch box just to give them a rough idea that this is how they’ll get food during mid-day breaks.

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• A tour to school with your little one- When you increase your visits to the preschool along with your child it boosts their confidence and they get attracted to the colorful ambiance of the school like play area, library, computer room, classrooms, separate washrooms, and canteen. Most of the kids get fascinated by the school transport like big yellow buses. You must together do the dry run for transport as well be it public transport, school bus or cab. This will give your child comfort as to how they should behave with other children while traveling to the preschool.

• Listen to your child’s worries and notice non-verbal messages- Let your child know that it is normal to feel excited, happy, scared, and worried. A lot of thoughts must be going on in your little one’s tiny brain. Listen to them patiently and answer all their questions. It's hard for some kids to explain how they are feeling so if they are nervous or worried by this decision, they might become more aggressive, move backward in other areas, and will react weirdly at times. You must make your little one comfortable and at ease.

• Put on a happy face- You must be feeling anxious too during the initial days of preschool of your child. You must hold back your tears and hug your little one and let him/her know that you’ll be back soon to pick them up. If you’ll keep sneaking even after dropping your little one to the preschool then he/she might feel insecure. Kids do meltdown during the time of separation but once you’ve handed over your child to the school staff just trust them.

• Read books about preschool- There are several books available in the market or a public library about going to preschool. Talk about the story and the characters as how they are going to school and then ask your child how he/she is feeling?

• Play a game and practice self-help skills- Undressing and dressing while using the washrooms, make your child understand that there are separate washrooms for boys and girls, fastening the shoelace, how to pack the bag at the end of the school or how to finish the mid-day meal.

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