Starting preschool is a big moment for both kids and parents. There are probably a lot of feelings in your house about the upcoming change – nerves, excitement, pride, and maybe even a little sadness. Whether your child is used to being away from you during the day, or has been home with you since birth, the transition to a formal learning environment is a momentous occasion. Here are five steps you can take to make this transition easier.

Develop a routine

Start thinking now about what time your child will need to go to bed in order to get a good night’s sleep. Also, think about what time they should get up so you all aren’t feeling rushed in the morning. Take note of how long it takes your child to do their normal morning tasks – brushing teeth, getting dressed, eating breakfast, etc. Calculate how long they will need and make sure they are waking up in time. At least 2 weeks before the first day of school, you should start to follow this bedtime and wake up schedule. Some other things to think about with a school routine is when the backpack will be packed (the night before? the morning of?), where the backpack will live (in a closet? hanging on a chair or hook?), where are you going to put the papers and crafts that come home from school (preschoolers won’t let you throw anything away!).

Visit school together

Make sure you and your child have visited school together. At Calvary Methodist Preschool we encourage all students to come with their parents for a tour. While the tour is a great time for parents to meet staff and ask questions about programming, it is also a great opportunity for children to familiarize themselves with the space. Taking some time to play with toys while the grown-ups chat will help build excitement around coming back. You can also stop by and play at the playground anytime. We will also host an open house before school starts. During the open house children will be able to meet some of their classmates, and their teachers. We plan a scavenger hunt and various activities to help kids navigate the school and classroom.

Practice independence

At school there will be many things children need to be able to do independently. This includes using the bathroom and washing their hands. While at home, make sure your kids can do these things from start to finish on their own. At school we have stools in the toilet stalls and in front of the sinks to make sure they can reach. There are also tasks that we want children to be independent in completing. These include packing and unpacking their backpack and taking their jackets off and putting it back on. To promote independence with backpacks, we highly recommend a full size backpack. The toddler sized backpacks are cute, but really hard for kids to get their folder and papers into on their own. At school we will always encourage kids to try on their own first before we offer help. Same for jackets and coats. At school we teach the coat flip to help kids be able to get their coats on independently.

Use books and media

There are so many excellent books and TV episodes to help kids prepare for their first school experience. Look at your local library for books about preschool like The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing, or Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins. There are also books featuring favorite characters like Llama, Llama Back to School by Anna Dewdney or Daniel Goes to School by Becky Friedman. You can also learn the song Grownups Come Back from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

Play School

Grab a couple of stuffed animal friends or dolls and play school! This type of imaginative play is a great way to get kids excited about school, and calm their nerves. You can take turns playing the teacher. Act out school routines like singing songs, reading stories, and having a morning circle. Kids can also act out playing with their classmates. They can ask their pretend classmates, “Can I play with you?” or “Can I have that toy when you are done?”. When playtime is done they can play the clean up game (a real skill they will need at school). You can also act out saying goodbye and reuniting at the end of the school day. All of this imaginative play will help your child associate school with fun and play.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you and your child to feel a little bit more ready, and maybe even a bit more excited about the upcoming school year.