You can still vividly remember the first time you held your little baby in your arms; wasn’t it just the other day? And now it’s time to enter the world of early learning! Here are 5 tips to help make this new phase of life easier for you and your toddler.
1. Visit your child’s class: Take time out to stop by the class your child will be resuming in when the new session comes. See how the children behave and are cared for. What’s the maximum number of children in a class? How many assistants does the class teacher have? A conversation with the teacher who will be handling your child can go a long way to help ease your fears and equip you to properly assist your little one. Hardly any questions are out of bounds; talk about potty training, lunch breaks, naps and what happens when a child is ill. Ask what you can do to complement the school’s work at home. Take notes.
2. Prepare yourself: Your child isn’t the only one entering a new phase of life; you are, too. Get yourself organized. Do you have domestic help? Prep them on what role they’ll be expected to play. If you don’t have help, will you be needing to wake up earlier? Who will handle homework, and when? Will you drop off and pick up your toddler every day, or will you use the school bus? Will you pack lunch every day, or will you pay for the school lunch? How can your partner support you? Make sure you’re ready, so that you can give your child all the support needed.
3. Shop early: Nothing increases stress like last minute shopping, and if you’re rushed and hurried, your toddler will pick up on it. Buy everything you’ll need as early as possible, from uniforms, socks, shoes and lunch bags, to biscuits, juice, crayons and note books.
4. Start changing your toddler’s routine: Gradually sync your child’s routine with the school’s time-table before resumption, and prepare your little one for changes at home, too. If naps will no longer be 11am but 2:30pm once school starts, let your child start getting used to it. The same goes for wake up time, meals and bedtime. You don’t want to spring several changes on your toddler suddenly; starting preschool is already challenging.
5. Pack and lay out everything the night before: If you leave this till morning, you’re likely to forget something. First, label bags and boxes; make sure your child’s name is visible. Then the evening before the big day, and every evening after that, lay out your child’s uniform, socks and shoes, and pack snacks and drinks. You don’t want your child’s lunch or school bag to be given to another child and vice versa.
There you are! Remember to take a handkerchief along. Whether the joyful pride of seeing your little person looking smart and cute in a uniform proves overwhelming, or the pain of separation turns out to be more intense than expected, don’t be caught unawares; your little one may not be the only one with teary eyes.
About the author: Joy Ehonwa is a writer, copy-editor and online proofreader who is passionate about relationships and personal development. She runs Pinpoint Creatives, a copy-editing, ghostwriting and transcription business, and blogs at
www.anafricandiva.wordpress.com and
www.girlaware.wordpress.com
