My son will turn three on April 4th. I was thinking to send him to a pre-school since he seems very bored with me and my husband all day long. He doesn't have any contacts with any other children besides Sundays in Church. I was thinking that he needs to develop relationships with children of his own age. What concerns me the most is that he doesn't speak sentences yet! he just says words and pretty much act like a baby still. :-/
He's fully potty-trained and he learned it in a week!. He didn't give me any trouble on that.
What should I do? should I send him to the pre-school even though he doesn't seem mature enough?. What are your thoughts about it?.
Well, here when you go to enroll your child in pre-school, they give you a list of things that your child should be doing or close to doing. But the potty trained thing is a must. I has been 2 years since I had my oldest daughter enrolled. And I know that they change the requirements every year. But I also know that here, the pre-school requirements are age 3. My sister has her youngest child in pre-school and it will be her second year this fall. It really helps the child to adjust to other children and the routine of a 'school day' and authoritive figures other than the mom and dad. It really helped my child and she loved the feel of going to 'school' everyday.
congrats to ya lds ,half of my crew aren't putty trained and they made it through college,send the kid to school cuz he learns quickly ,keeping him home is keeping him back ,i bet he'll teach those others a thing or 2.
Preparing for Preschool - Part 1
by Kim Smith (contributing editor of Direct Parenting Newsletter)
Familiarizing your toddler with some fundamentals of preschool life during the summer can make his transition much smoother this fall. The following preparations may give him a head start and make life easier for mom and dad also.
Practice Cooperation! Taking turns and cooperating is expected in preschool, although many children don't learn these skills immediately and may need some direction. Practicing at home can include taking turns playing with the same toy, putting pieces into a puzzle, or working cooperatively in the kitchen or laundry room. Don't fret if your toddler does not excel in these skills while at home, as most children are almost always more agreeable when they are not with their parents.
Name Games are Fun! Although your toddler won't be expected to write or read a name, being familiar with what the name looks like can be so helpful. Many things are going to be labeled such as cubbies, lunch boxes, pictures, etc. At home, you can write her name on artwork, the refrigerator (with magnetic letters), on a chalkboard, or even in the sandbox with a stick! You can also recite the letters in a singsong fashion, however, you should not pressure her to learn to recognize or read letters or words. Make it fun!
Pack the Lunch Box! Pick out a fun lunch box together and, a few days before the first day of preschool, begin packing his lunch and letting him eat it from the lunch box. Demonstrate how he can take the food out of the containers and pack it back. Show him what is supposed to be thrown out. You can also follow this same pattern with a backpack and nap mat. Let him try it out for a few days before school, so that it isn't so new and strange to him when he gets to school.
Next week, in Part 2, we'll provide more tips to work on this summer to make going to preschool easier in the fall.
LDS, as soon as I get part 2, I'll post the rest of it for you. :)
Preparing for Preschool - Part 2
by Kim Smith (contributing editor of Direct Parenting Newsletter)
Last week, in Part 1, we offered some tips and here are some more!
Familiarizing your toddler with the fundamentals of preschool life during the summer can make his transition much smoother this fall. The following preparations may give him a head start and make life easier for mom and dad also.
Give Directions! Make games out of following directions. Call off several in a row: Pick up that toothbrush, brush your teeth, rinse the brush, place it in the holder. Make sure to keep the game fun and pressure free, as your toddler will probably be more apt to follow directions better when she's actually in school rather than home.
Give Choices! Your child will probably be expected to do a certain amount of decision making at school. Prepare him by giving him choices whenever possible: Do you want to play inside or outside? Do you want the blue ball or the red ball?
Provide Some Structure! Begin incorporating more structure into your toddler's day in the few weeks before preschool. You could post a written schedule using illustrations so she can read it herself and know that clean up time is right after playtime, then it's story time.
Socialization! Pump up your child's socialization! If your child hasn't yet had any regular play dates, arrange some the week before preschool. This should increase his comfort level with the other children. However, you may not want to over-do it as he may tire of the social scene before school starts.
Hopefully, this will help you out, LDS. Or help anyone else who is getting ready to send their toddler to preschool. :)
Okay, here I go mixing it up again....
It isn't written in stone that your child *has to go* to preschool. Unless you have a specific need for him to go, such as you work or go to school full time outside of the home and need daycare, does he really need to go? For some kids, it's a great experience, and for others it is terrifying and horrible.
Be prepared for other people's children who hit, scratch, bite, spit, cuss, curse, pull toys away from other kids, won't share, steal food, pull hair, expose themselves, and otherwise bully smaller/nicer kids. And for those kids who are constantly going to school obviously SICK (and I mean blatant runny noses, evil coughs, etc) even though it is against the rules for the parents to bring them.
And be prepared for their parents... who do nothing about any of the above, and who think you and your kid are whiners.
And be prepared for school personnel who very often are limited in how they can handle these situations.
Preschool is NOT all it's advertised to be.
Just my 2 cents worth... sorry to be so negative...
Roz