My four year old daugther is stating Pre-k in August and I'm worried about how she will adjust to school. She spends just about everyday with me.She seems to be a well adjusted little girl. But sometimes I worry about her in a school setting. Maybe I'm worried about nothing. She is my first child. She seems to be exicted, but I think that will change when it gets here. Any advice on how to ease my fears and to help her become more adjust if the problem arises.
So here is what happened. First day of class my cousin that goes to the same school hepled her and my daughter had no problems. But the next day I had to walk in to school and one day I had to walk her to class. There was a couple times where she had ask her teacher for me but the teacher got her distaratced. This was again in the first week. The second week is going great. She hasen't asked for me cryed or wanted me to go in with her. So she is slowy but surley adjusting well to school. I hope that things keep going well for her.
Just wanted to say that I am going through the same thing. I have a 4yr old daughter starting school this August. She is my first and only child for now and she is with me every single day. She tells me she is really excited and can't wait to start school. Sometimes I worry that will change. But after reading all the responses you got it makes me feel so much better.
If you can meet at least a few of the kids that will be in her class, will help her alot. She will recognize at least one child and feel like she belongs. It will help you too when it comes time to say goodbye. Make sure she meets a child or 2 the first day at least, if you can't do so beforehand. Each school has its own drop off policy. At our school, the teacher in PreK has a table where she sits with kids coming in and has an activity for each child to start as he/she comes in. It is usually a coloring or match it up, kind of thing on paper. She gets them started on that with other kids doing the same thing and they get distracted. Remember to say goodbye quickly and matter of factly, and I love you is fine too. But after that, leave.
Once you drop your little girl off to preK, the teachers will handle everything. If she cries or gets upset when you drop her off it will only last a few minutes as the school curriculum will distract her. One thing to remember is when you take her to class, let her know how excited you are about all the new things she will learn (stories, games, ABC's etc) and say, "Have a great day honey, I'll see you at 2:00, I Love You, (goodbye hugs and kisses), you are a big girl and so awesome. I love you. See you later" She will love it as 99.9% of the children do (I taught preK for three years) No need to worry yourself mom! It'll all work out, you'll see.
I am a Pre-K teacher in our district. The best advice I can give you is to let her go. Be supportive but do not become upset because children feed off of their parents emotions. When you start school supply shopping let her help you pick out what she needs and even a backpack that she will love to show her new friends. Talk about the first day of school and how you will bring her to school and then leave her their so she can get really smart and tell her you want her to tell you all about it when she gets home. I know it is hard (I have been there...I have a soon to be kindergartner and second grader..both girls). If she starts to cry give her a big hug and a kiss and tell her it is ok to cry but she needs to be a big girl now and meet new friends and teachers. Hand her over to the teachers and leave. The teachers "should" know how to calm your child down with activites, etc. She WILL be ok even if you leave her while she is crying. She will adjust much faster that way than if you hung around and "babied" her. Please trust me, I have done this twice with my own children and for a few years with other Pre-Kers. Thanks.
A.
I think it just comes with being a parent when we get scared or nervious about our children. You should try to not worry so much, even if your daughter does have some trouble adjusting it is good for her. Children need indepedance from thier parents and they need to be separated from you to learn about the world on thier own, as you have. School is the perfect environment for children to learn about peer groups, society, and formal education. Let her go with a big confident smile even if she is crying or scared. Let her know that mommy knows best and mommy will pick her up soon. She'll be ready before you know it. Good luck!
C.,
I think you are worying about nothing at all. I think you are already suffering from separation anxiety before it even starts. I am a Pre-K teachers aide and i see alot of parents go through the same thing so you are not alone. I speak from experience too because when I put my 3 kids through pre-k I cried everytime. Not from sadness but from the realization that "oh my gosh my baby is growing up so fast." On the 1st day of school sometimes the school PTA will have something for the parents set up after you drop your child off at their class. I am also the PTA President at my school and I am trying to plan something special for the parents with 1st time children that are attending school. The teachers wont mind you staying in the class for about the first 10-15 minutes but after that they want to get the parents to leave the classroom so that they can get to know the children and start them on their daily routines. I guaruntee for the 1st 2 weeks it will be difficult for you or maybe even her but after that your daughter will want to go to school to play with friends, paint, color or play on the computer. I always try to have fun with my pre-k students. AND YES it is hard for me at the end of the school year too because I get just attached to them as they do to me. Also seen as how this is your first child, try volunteering at the school or becoming a PTA member. A child will succeed better if the parent is involved with the school. This has been proven by studies! If you don't mind my asking what school will she be going to? Hope my info helped some and the best of luck to you! Please email me anytime to talk if you would like ____@____.com or for PTA questions contact me at ____@____.com
Your daughter will ajust fine even though she spends all her time with you.because that's how my daughter was and when she started school she was so excited.She couldn't wait to get up the next morning and go to school.Now my neice is starting school in August and she is very excited to go and she can't wait until she goes.
One thing to keep in mind is that she can probably sense your emotions, so you should try to stay as stress-free about it as possible. If you are nervous or uptight about school, she will be also. If she hasn't spent a lot of time away from you, she will likely cry when you leave her. This is usually for your benefit to get you to stay, so you have to reassure her that everything is going to be fine and that school is going to be fun. Don't let her see you upset (I am assuming that the first day will be emotional for you, but try not to let her see you crying). Once you get her settled, try to leave as quickly as possible after a hug and a kiss with a big smile on your face. If she sees that you are excited about it, then she will be less likely to get upset. If she does cry, the people that work there will expect that, so just leave quickly and let them soothe her. In most cases, they stop within a minute or two when they can re-direct their attention to something else. You know that this is the best thing for her or you wouldn't be putting her in school, so you just have to trust that the teachers will take over and after a week or two, she won't even think twice about it. Good luck! Leaving our babies is hard, but they need that time with other kids too, so you're doing the right thing!
