Preschooler in the house?- 5 ‘To School’ tips!

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Bunny girl was anything but an enthu. cutlet when it came to the topic of going to school. As parents to a first time pre-schooler you may face the same problem but here are 5 of my ‘To school’ tips to help get your child ready and looking forward to the next milestone in his/her life…..

1. Start getting all excited each time you talk about school. Throw in a reference to school each time you do something fun with your little one, that you do know they will be doing at school. When Bunny girl first developed a love for painting, the first thing I told her was ” “Wow, in school too they’ll let you paint. Isn’t that fun?” I may have told her this more than just a few times but then with little kids its important to reinforce a point several times for it to stick. :> (I was so glad the first thing we saw when we stepped into Bunny girl’s class on orientation day, was the kids morning painting session! )

2. Develop a routine that you want followed when your child goes to school, atleast a few weeks before school actually starts. This way your child does not get introduced to too many new things at once when its time for school to begin. At times too much unfamiliarity can get to be unsettling for a little one. For example: If you want you child to have dinner at 6 pm instead of 7pm on school nights, start eating dinner at 6 pm a few weeks before school starts.

3. Go ‘To School’ shopping with your little one. Allowing your child pick out his/her backpack with a favorite character on/a favorite color or pattern, a fun painting smock, his/her pack of crayons etc. does help build the excitement levels. (I know crayons are not something major but every little thing counts when your child has to do the ‘picks’. Yes this does mean the shopping round will take much longer but set aside that time to do it for your child. You will see this activity does pay off!)

4. Visit the school once or twice with your child and see if the teacher will allow you to sit in for a class or two. This way your child is assured Mommy or Daddy is around so it’s okay to ‘test out the waters’ plus he/she get to see what actually happens in school and that it really is fun!

5. Above all pray! If your child is not looking forward to going to school, no amount of pressure will ever change that. Deal with the resistance to go to school with love. Pray and you will see that God will change how your little one feels. (Proverbs 21:1 says “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.“) He changed Bunny girl’s heart and now I have a ‘To School’ go-er who lights up each time we mention her school!

I hope your preschooler has an awesome first day at school. Remember to take lots of photographs and carry a box of Kleenex with you but remember to hold in your tears till your little one walks into class and once he/she is well out of sight open those flood gates and have a good cry. I think I may need to carry a bed sheet from home , the Kleenex will just not suffice!

I’ll miss Bunny girl but then this is important for her. She’s now all set for preschool!

Post written for the Sprite/Twitter Moms Back to School Program