4 ways to get your toddler ready for school

Its that time of the year again! Excitement. Fear. Joy. Apprehension. Anticipation… A new year at school -new friends, new classrooms, new teachers and a whole new world of knowledge. Some children are excited, some are fearful and the parent’s emotions, though not as expressive as their child, are equally strong underneath!

Here are some ways you can prepare your child for a new year at school.

  1. Get your child into a good routine.
    Routine is one of the best thing for a child’s development – intellectually, emotionally and physically. Put your little one to sleep at a fixed time everyday, not later than 9:30pm. At this age, they should get atleast 10 hours of sleep in the night. The moment you do this, you will notice a big change in them. They will be far happier and more settled.
  1. Wake them up every morning at 7:30am.
    This will help them get used to waking up for school. Let them have a bath, get ready for the day and sit down at the table and have their breakfast. This is all preparation for when school begins.
  1. Talk to them about school.
    There’s no shortcut to spending quality time with your child. You will be amazed at the things that come out. They may even talk about their fears or share their excitement with you. Make ‘school’ an exciting thing for them. Never make statements like “Eat your food quickly or the Principal will beat you” or “Wear your shoes fast or your teacher will shout at you when you go to school”. Never put fear into their hearts. Put going to school in a very positive light for your child. Make up stories about animals or children who love going to school and have lots of fun in school.
  1. Make it a special event for your child.
    Go shopping with them and buy them a nice bag, a pencil box with pencils, eraser, sharpener, crayons, etc. Buy them a special school umbrella or raincoat and talk about how they will take it to school. Let them be involved in the choosing process as well so they will feel the excitement.

Starting the new year is a big event in your child’s life and if you start doing the things mentioned above, you will find that your child will be ready for school and will settle down much quicker.

Never make statements like “Eat your food quickly or the Principal will beat you” or “Wear your shoes fast or your teacher will shout at you”. Put going to school in a very positive light for your child.

Priyanka George

Priyanka George

Priyanka has done her Post Graduate studies in early childhood development. She is married with two little toddlers and currently lives in Bangalore.

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