How to tell your child is ready for preschool

Some parents in Singapore wait until their children turn three years old before taking them to preschool. Some, however, take their children much earlier, especially when they want the children to benefit from early childhood interactions. If you want to take your child to preschool before the expected age, how do you know he is ready for preschool? Read more here about what attending preschool will do for your child: https://www.chilternhouse.com.sg/

Is Your Child Comfortable with Strangers?

One way to confirm how your child will behave with caregivers and teachers at a preschool is by assessing his re action towards strangers. For example, does he shy away when meeting someone he is not familiar with, or does he chat happily?

Parents are naturally worried about their child’s reaction towards strangers, but a child can be moderately friendly and safe. If you worry about using strangers to evaluate your child’s readiness, check his response when he comes across people, he is not in contact with all the time. It could be your family or friends.

How Independent is Your Child?

Toddlers are naturally great at seeking attention, and preschool teachers understand this. However, some independence is expected. A child who demands attention all the time can be overwhelming for teachers, especially since they are required to give equal attention to all the children. Besides giving the teachers a hard time, a child in need of constant attention will end up in distress when he feels forgotten.

When preparing your toddler for preschool, it is essential to give him space to identify activities he enjoys so that he can spend some time on his own. Over time, he will only seek you out when he needs you.

How Does Your Child Respond When Things Don’t go His Way?

When your child goes to preschool, he will interact with other children. If this is his first time in such an environment, you can be sure there will be a lot of giving and taking. Unfortunately, children have a lot of trouble when it comes to managing their emotions.

Some children explode in rage whenever something doesn’t go his way. In a preschool, this could be several times a day. This can be overwhelming on your child, other children and the teachers. Although aggressive tantrums are expected from toddlers, it is vital for you to guide your child on matters sharing and how to handle a negative response.

It would help if you also learned how to say no whenever you need to so that he can become accustomed to such a response. If your child lashes out whenever he doesn’t get what he wants, he will become socially isolated. In the long run, he will be a lonely, unhappy child at the preschool.

How Responsive is Your Child to Change?

Going to preschool is a massive change for a child who has only known one environment, home, since birth. If you have been travelling, you were always there with him, so the transition wasn’t hard. The only change, in this case, was the where. He was still with the same people he relates to at home.

In preschool, he will encounter many people, all of whom don’t live in his home. He will have a different routine from the one he is used to, and his parents will not be there to hold his hand for several hours.

To a child, this is a different world altogether, and it can be overwhelming. You can predict your child’s reaction based on his response when you are in a different environment. If he clings to you more than usual, he is likely to experience hardship in preschool.

If your child is not prepared for preschool, you can take steps to help him. Fortunately, children accept changes quickly, sometimes much faster than adults. Please take steps to give him some independence while at the same time, let him know you are close enough to support him.

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