How to Get Your Child Ready for Preschool With Free Ready for Pre-K Checklist

by Crystal Carder

If you’re looking for ways to help your child get ready for preschool, then you’ve definitely found yourself in the right place. After my four year old went to preschool, a couple of years ago, I found out just what he needed to do to be ready and what he didn’t. Although, your school may be different, getting your child ready for preschool doesn’t have to involve a lot of work or stress, just follow these simple tips.

How to Get Your Child ready for pre-k

How to Get Your Child Ready for Preschool

If you’re planning on sending your child to preschool this year, this post will help you make sure your child is ready and prepared. I even give you a free Getting Ready for Preschool checklist that you can print out whenever you’re ready.

Learn the ABC’s and Numbers 1-10

Although your child doesn’t have to be proficient in saying the alphabet or counting to ten, they really should know how to both of these before they enter pre-k.

Knowing these will give your child a head start and help them whenever it comes time to sound out letters and write them. There are many apps to help learn both of these, but one of my favorite ways to teach my kids these were through their favorite television shows like Paw Patrol, Team Umizoomi, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Knows Their Name & How to Write It

I’ll be honest, my boys never knew how to write their name before they went off to school. Mainly because they never listened to me and partially because I didn’t know how to teach them.

But, teaching your kid how to write their names and the letters in their name will give them a big advantage in class. Plus, your child’s pre-k teacher will be happy not to have to spend so much time teaching it.

Click here to read how you can make back-to-school more affordable

Take a Tour of the School

Before any child is ready to go off somewhere new, I recommend scheduling a tour of the school, especially if your school doesn’t already offer this. Many times, schools offer these new student tours so kids and parents can meet the teachers and to learn valuable information about what will be happening throughout the year.

These tours are invaluable for familiarizing kids with the school and their teachers.

Take Control of Separation Anxiety

It’s okay if your child has never been away from you, ever, I completely understand. But the last thing you want to do is to throw your child to the wolves and expect them to be fine. Leaving your child for so long, every day is a big adjustment.

Be sure to help your child by explaining what school is and why they will want to go. Let them know that you can’t be there, but will be there when they get home. Hopefully, by explaining this to your child, it won’t be so much of a shock when they end up in a class alone with 20-couple kids.

Teach Them to Play Well With Others

While this may be more of an only-child thing, teaching your kid to play well with others is very important for pre-k. Even though your child’s teachers will guide them to do the right things, it will make it a lot easier on you, and them, if you just teach them how to play well with kids now.

Before your child starts pre-k, they should know how to share and not to hit, spit, or kick.

Read about what no one ever talks about with back to school

Teach Them to Use the Bathroom, Alone

By the time a kid is ready to go to pre-k, they are plenty old enough to know when they need to use the bathroom. Make sure your child is potty trained, many pre-schools even require this, and make sure to teach your child how to use the bathroom by themselves.

Although teachers will help your child and wait at the bathroom, it will make it a whole lot easier for both of you, if they learn how to do everything now.

If this list has you second-guessing sending your child to pre-k, don’t let it scare you. You may even worry that your child isn’t ready for pre-k, but even if they can’t do the things on this list, that is okay. Your child’s school and teachers are trained to teach help with all of these things. 

Get your free printable for How to Get Your Child Ready for Preschool HERE.

 

Last Updated on 3 years by Crystal Carder

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