Preparing your child for school

Starting school is a big step for a child, parents can play an essential role in preparing their little one for this new experience. Here are a few simple strategies to ensure a smooth transition.

Establish a set routine

Following a routine provides opportunities for making decisions and acting responsibly, and having a daily schedule can help ease your child's transition to the structure of a nursery setting. Routines provide opportunities to learn about order, sequencing, and concepts of time. Established routines make for smoother transitions and help children to prepare mentally for the day ahead while providing frameworks in which creative learning can occur. If you don't have a consistent schedule at home, your child will likely have difficulty adjusting to school.

Stick with morning and bedtime routines

If done consistently, routines give your child a sense of belonging and reassurance, and provide you with frequent opportunities to connect with your child, so it's best to be available, attentive, and responsive to your child's needs. An early-morning routine can include helping your child get dressed, eat breakfast, brush teeth and hair, and assemble personal items. Young children typically love a good morning chart with the tasks listed in order and a picture next to each item to provide a visual reminder for what is expected of them. Some classrooms have similar daily schedules, which help prepare and organize your child.
Bedtime means sleeping in a dark room alone, which can often stir up nighttime fears. A comforting routine before bedtime can include: bathing, changing into pajamas, reading a book, brushing teeth, saying prayers (duaa), discussing the day's events, singing a song, giving hugs and kisses, and "tucking in." These tasks add closure to the day, they settle down a restless child, and provide additional bonding.