How to prepare your toddler for starting school

Starting school will be a huge change for toddlers, so it is important to get them prepared and enthusiastic well in advance

It is only natural that a small child would feel anxious about being away from you and around unfamiliar people for the first time. The key to this is to prepare them really well for the school experience, remove any surprises from the equation and get them looking forward to the new adventure. Try our tips:

1. Build up to going to school by arranging lots of play dates, both with new toddler friends and in your friend’s homes, or at the park. This will help your little one to become more social and accustomed to seeing new faces away from you. Make sure the play dates include fun activities so that your child associates enjoyment with being away from you like this.

2. Talk to you child about all the fun they can have with new friends at school and talk about all the great activities they can do there. Visit the schools. with your child, so they can become familiar with their new surroundings.

3. Talk to your child well in advance and regularly about how great school will be and talk through the schedule of what time they have their breakfast, what time they go to school, what they will do, who they will see and what time they will come home.

4. Let your child know they will have their own special lunchbox for school and talk about what you will put inside. Get your child’s ideas about the healthy things they enjoy that you can include in their lunchbox.

5. Reassure your child that if any problems arise at school, you will be there to help resolve them.

6. Make sure they know at least one other child who will be starting the same class, so they can either both go to school together or meet at the school gates.

Details: For further reading, check out the article on the article on Mindfulness in Education.