More Than Baby Clothes

When I started this blog I not only wanted to focus on baby clothes and kids clothes but on other things to do with children - hence the "more" in the blog title. So here is one of the "more" postings about my experiences in looking after children.

Before I moved to the USA I owned a nursery (preschool) in the UK that took children from the age of 45 months until they started school at five years old. Parents often asked what they needed to do to prepare their child for nursery. Did they need to teach them to read, write, and recognize numbers or count? Important as these achievements are there are other skills children need to acquire before starting in a more educational setting.

Here are some of the most important things you can do to prepare your toddler for the first step to formal learning whether you are in the USA or the UK:

• Talk to your child about what they can expect - make this fun and perhaps play a game of "let's go to preschool". The more fun your child has learning about what they are going to be doing once they start this new venture the easier it will be for them to settle.
  

• Visit the preschool so that they are familiar with where it is, the layout and to meet the staff and other children. After the initial visit with mom and dad I used to invite the child to come for one or two sessions (mom could leave them if they were happy to) so they got a chance to play and join in the activities.

• Make sure your child can listen to and follow simple instructions. This is a very important skill as during the course of the day they are going to have to follow the directions that the teacher gives them not only to help them learn but also for following safety procedures.

• Get your child used to sitting and listening to stories and joining in with songs and nursery rhymes.

• Teach your child to take turns. There are lots of activities where turn taking is important: in a conversation, playing games (as matching pairs, dominoes etc.) and waiting in line.

• Help them to be independent when it comes to personal care such as going to the bathroom, putting on and taking off their coat/sweater and taking off and putting on their shoes.

• Arrange for them to have play dates with children of a similar age so they get used to sharing, playing and socializing with other children.
  

• Make time to talk to and listen to your little one so that they are able to hold a conversation with other children and their teachers. It is also useful to teach them that it is okay to have all kinds of feelings but that there is a right and wrong way to express them.
  

• Be supportive of your child by praising their strengths and letting them develop at their own pace. All children are different and don't learn everything at the same age and there will be things that your child excels at and others that he's not so good at.
  

• Don't oversell the idea of preschool by saying things like "it'll be the best fun ever" or "there's nothing to be afraid of". Take seriously any fears and anxieties they have and reassure them.
  

All these skills can and should be taught in a fun way through play and everyday activities. Remember they will have enough formal lessons when they start full time education. Let them play and be children while they can.