Tips on Beginning Pre-School

i love that he's only going 3 days a week for half a day. this type of structure ought to be introduced gently. i think way too many tinies are thrust into 'school days' way too fast. i don't believe for a second that kids 'lose' it in a day. that day gives them a chance to relax and be the spontaneous little beings they truly are.
khairete
S.

I think it's great that you're introducing him to preschool - in whatever means works best for you right now.

All kids adjust a little differently. Our kids have been in full-time day care since my son was 2, his sister was 9 weeks. At 2 and 4 now, they have completely different responses to adjustments in their schedules based upon their personalities.

Our son (4) takes several weeks to adjust to a new classroom/new teachers despite knowing almost all the kids in the new room. Our daughter (2) walks in like nothing changed from one day to the next.

I'd recommend dropping off and leaving. Don't linger, don't coddle. Just leave. The teachers are so experienced with working with kids upset with the transition.

When I was laid off last summer and bumped daycare back to 3 days/week, I always picked them up with some milk and a snack. We always ask the teachers how things were (so we can work on it at home) and have the kids tell us "all the great things" they did that day. It helps keep the experience positive.

If the transition is rough for him, we found that bringing in snacks to share, favorite toys to share (if allowed), favorite stories, etc. helped ease our son into things. Of course, we checked with day care to make sure it was OK, and avoided food allergies if possible.

A few weeks ago, we took a huge bag of fresh fruit (strawberries, blueberries, grapes). Sometimes, it's kettle corn from the farmer's market, GoGurt, etc.

Good luck. I hope he transitions well and you all enjoy the experience.

1. Following direction is always an issue, Play simon sayes
2. My son was only in Pre-k for 3 days a week and it did not hurt him at all, what I did was ask the teachers what the routine is so I can keep my days at home the same. I went online and printed out worksheets for pre-k and worked with my son, I only did this on days where they was no pre-k and only the hours of pre-k.
3. Crayons, Markers, Scissors My pre-k for one of my sons did not require anything but now they are asking for a folder, scissors an art smock, eraser, pensils, and crayons, and markers, glue sticks.

I hope this helps. Good luck, on Congrats to the little one, how big they get so fast.

He will adjust within a few days to a week . So don't worry:) Practice having him going to the bathroom and doing it all by himself. I don't know about your preschool but ours only helps if you need help getting dressed after the potty. They don't help wipe or anything. That was my only worry.
Don't worry, he will love school:)

What problems might he face? The biggest would be separation issues. Next is following instructions and sharing but that will all come with time and you'll be amazed how much they change the first month of school.

What personality changes might he experience? He may start picking up things from other kids.

What is helpful to ease his transition? Talk about it. Drive him by the school. Explain to him a few weeks ahead of time what is going to happen/etc.

What items might they request us to purchase for him? Your school should let you know. And hopefully they have an orientation as well.

Honestly, I would hold off on signing him up for any additional activities until he gets into the swing of things unless he has already been doing these activities. It may just be too much for him. Once he gets into the swing of things and you feel that he may like to do more, then sign him up.

Good luck!

Now that he's 4 he can play team sports like Soccer and T-Ball. That may be something to consider to help him have more to do too. Our K was doing Gymnastics, Dance, T-Ball, Soccer, and BMX all at the same time. They hardly ever overlapped. Occasionally she would have a T-Ball game on the same night as Gymnastics but we would just put her uniform on after gymnastics and go to the game from there.

We are raising several of our grandkids so we tend to get scholorships to play sports. But even if we didn't they would be less than $50 each for the whole season.

i think 5 days is alot... they will be in 5 days soon enough.... he will either hate it or love it.... don't let it get to you... my son loved it.. and then decided after a few weeks he had enough.. we stuck it out.. and he was fine. he is now 14. they pick up good and bad from other kids... they will learn to say mine a lot or get mad when something is taken away... they will learn to share too..

The number one thing I forgot to teach my daughter before her first day of Pre-K was using a public bathroom. So her first morning there that's what we did. Before she started school she did not have any friends her own age so that was the #1 thing that made her very excited to go. Our preschool sends a supply list for the year. It is a long list, two diff types of glue, markers, crayons, scissors, folder, notebook, pencils, kleenex, extra pair of clothes for accidents, helmet for riding tricycles, and at least a dozen other little things. One big thing that we were not told until last minute was a snack fee for the year. During the school year is a lot of little fees like for field trips, scholastic book orders, school pictures, special projects to be done at home, and ect.