Preschool is incredibly important for young children, and most parents are well aware of the benefits that are provided to children when they attend preschool programs. In fact, about 40% of all three year olds and 75% of all four year olds attend preschool in the United States. If you are planning on sending your young child to preschool within the coming months, then you are probably feeling a bit anxious about the experience. While you can likely handle the anxiety without having a meltdown, your preschooler may not be able to. There are things you can to do help limit anxiety as much as possible.

Talk About Preschool Late

Children, just like adults, have anxiety about certain events or experiences. Preschoolers often have a fear of being on their own. This is a normal and natural fear that develops about attending preschool. Many children also have fears that revolve around the future and things that might happen. The longer a child can consider negative future events, the more a fear is able to grow. This means that it may not be wise to talk about preschool many months in advance. Instead, start introducing the idea of preschool about a month ahead of time. This way, your child can become familiar with the idea of attending preschool without having a significant amount of time to worry about what could happen.

Also, if you talk about preschool too early, then the first day of preschool may become a large event. The event then may be anticipated and this can lead to fear. If your child does feel anxious, then acknowledge the fears. There are several types of anxiety that your child may experience. Separation anxiety, social anxiety, and general anxiety are the three of the most common types. Do your best to ask your child to explain their fears and communicate feelings of fear. Acknowledge the feelings, offer praise for expressing them, and provide encouragement to help your child feel courage about going to preschool.

If your child does not have strong communication skills, then ask your child to act out his or her feelings. Play the teacher to allow your child to show you what he or she is anxious about as a student. Once the anxiety is revealed, continue to play the teacher and show how the situation may be handled. For example, if your son shows you how he is fearful about another child hitting him during class, then show how a teacher may scold the student and possibly send him to time out. 

Encourage An Appropriate Sleeping Routine

If your child has never attended preschool or a daycare center, then he or she may have been allowed to sleep in on a daily basis. This means that your child has been allowed to follow a specific wake and sleep cycle that may not be ideal during the school year. If possible, make sure to adjust the cycle so your child naturally wakes early enough to get ready for school. 

You will need to keep in mind that three, four, and five year olds typically need between 10 and 13 hours of sleep. If your child currently goes to bed at 8:00 PM and wakes up at around 8:00 AM, then they are getting about 12 hours of sleep. If your child needs to wake up at 7:00 AM to get ready for preschool, then you may consider keeping bedtime the same and simply waking your child up an hour earlier. However, this can lead to sleep deprivation, irritability, impatient behavior, and lethargy. These things are not conducive to a good preschool experience, and they may cause anxiety about going to school due to general fatigue. 

You will need to wake your son or daughter up early, but they should also go to bed early. Moving bedtime back a full hour will probably lead to your child falling asleep at the same time. You should instead move bedtime to 7:45 for a few days, then move it to 7:30. Continue moving bedtime 15 minutes back every two or three days until you reach 7:00 PM. Do this two or three weeks before preschool so your child gets used to the new sleep and wake cycle. 

For more information and tips, talk with a preschool program in your area, such as Advantage Learning Center.