Starting preschool is an important step for parents and children alike. The difference between the two is that the child will depend on mom and dad for getting the best possible experience. The transition will be difficult and most dads struggle, especially when they are single parents.
The good news is that you can easily prepare for preschool as a parent if you allow yourself enough time to do it. Here are some simple tips to get you started right now.
Do Not Over-Prepare
Although you do need time to prepare, this does not mean you should prepare more than a few months in advance. Well-meaning dads sometimes talk about preschool and plan almost everything around one to two years in advance. This is a really bad idea because there will be so many things that will change during that timeframe. You won’t even know if the preschool you want the child to go to will be the best choice for them at a later point in time. Be sure that you talk about the subject in an upbeat way and that you do not put too much emphasis on it, especially when in front of your child.
Get The Needed Furniture
Going to preschool does not have way too many require too many changes to your home, but you still need to be sure your child has a special place to use to learn and perform school related activities. This means you have to visit sites like Classroom Essentials, see what you need and buy it for your child. If your child has a great place to call his own, everything becomes so much simpler as they start their preschool routine.
Establishing Routines
Speaking about routines, it is important to start preparing by sticking to bedtime and morning routines. That is because the routine will offer the sense of reassurance and belonging for your preschooler. Parents will be able to connect with children more and routines make it easier to transition to the strict schedule that being enrolled in preschool requires. Try to see in advance what the schedule of the preschool is and then see how you can create a complementary routine for your child at home before they start classes.
Daily/Weekly Chores
This is another great thing that any dad can do. When you have a child that is used to the daily chores it will be easier to find the motivation to do homework or simply to focus on the learning necessary during preschool. Remember that children can always clean their plates, dress, feed pets and pick up toys after playing. These small contributions at home will create a sense of responsibility, especially when you praise your child for a job well done.
Separation Anxiety
Last but not least, it is important to talk about the possibility that your child will have separation anxiety. You can prepare for this before preschool by simply having a plan of different things you can do in order to make this step easier. Just talk about preschool and assure the child that you are going to always come back and that he/she will get to come home every day after preschool.
