School days are here again!

School days are here again!

May 23

Well, almost! Is your child about to go off to “big school” and everyone at home is stressing about it? Let me tell you, having taught for 5 years at a big school, I completely understand.

Right about now, teachers are most likely busy with classroom preparations, decorating the walls and windows with all sorts of learning fun. This means that you can also get ready at home!

One question I always used to get asked as a preschool teacher was how to ease children into the rigorous schedule of preschool. Manila’s education system being structured in a certain way, preschool out here can mean serious business. The term “big school” is in fact, a pretty big deal. In many cases, I saw that it caused a lot of stress on parents and they would unwittingly end up transferring this stress on to their kids.

So how do we help our kids along without stressing them out? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Bring your child along to visit their new school.

Majority of the time, children get anxious because they cannot picture what mom or dad means when they talk about “big school”. It’s like telling you that you have to go to a new job and you have no idea where the building is, what floor the office is on, and what the actual office looks like. Pretty stressful, yes? Taking a walk around campus can help ease fears and open up questions your child may have. “Is there a playground, mom?” and “Will my classroom have doors?” (Yes, this was a valid question asked of a former parent of mine!)

2. Set a regular routine at home a few weeks before school starts.

Try to emulate what it will be like when school begins. Your child will have to be up and ready at a certain time and dressed for school. You can even make a game out of it – use a stopwatch and tell your child it is a “Race to Get Ready!” This may help them feel that school is something to be excited about, and not something scary or threatening. Make it fun, and have fun yourself! By preparing and setting a routine beforehand, your child’s body clock will be better adjusted to school hours. Make sure to have a talk about “study” and “play” time and why these are important.

3. Does your child have books and other learning materials he has to bring?

Play the memory game with your child. Show him all the materials necessary for school and ask him to list them aloud or make a drawing of each. This will help him remember his things and that he now has other responsibilities as well – that of taking care of his own belongings.

Hopefully these suggestions will help make the transition to big school a bit easier, a bit happier and an over-all good thing! Because school IS a good thing.

SONG SUGGESTION:

\”ABC\” by The Jackson 5

ABC easy as 1-2-3!

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Image from:

kstepmonstessorichildcare.org