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Wondering what your child should know before starting preschool? This post can help you get your toddler ready for preschool in the fall!
What Should My Child Know Before Starting Preschool?
Alphabet
There are many ways to help your toddler learn the alphabet. One of the best ways to introduce the alphabet to your child is through song. With my son, he learned his ABCs by singing the song.
Learning through song allowed him to learn how to say the letters. We were then able to use the song to identify the letters on paper.
Using worksheets on letters, showing what words start with the letter, and teaching the way the letter sounds can help your child learn the alphabet.
Numbers
Similar to the alphabet, learning numbers through songs can help your child learn them. I am a big printable fan. Kids love worksheets, using pencils, and coloring.
Using Writing Utensils
Teaching your child how to use writing utensils such as pencils, pens, crayons, and colored pencils will help your child prepare for preschool.
Manners
A simple please and thank you can go a long way. Kids learn by watching. Every chance we get to show each other manners in our house, we do it, and this is why my son has grown to say please and thank you for everything.
We even get comments from daycare saying how polite our son is for 3!
Names and Relationships
It wasn’t until around 2 that my son really started to say his name. We called him by his name daily but he still didn’t respond with his name when we asked what it was.
We ended up having to put our son into daycare. With that came a lot of fear and sadness for this mama. (I am sure I am not alone!)
However, putting our son in daycare was incredibly beneficial for his development. From there, he began saying his name and the names of his friends. He also began to understand relationships such as mom, dad, grandma and grandpa, sister, and even cousins.
Emotions
With the help of some Daniel Tiger, our son was really great about showing when “he was feeling mad” (if you know you know!). Allowing our son to show his emotions helped him understand that it was ok to be sad or angry.
He definitely throws some tantrums every now and again, but we are able to use some coping tactics to help him throw emotions he just isn’t understanding.
Listening
Teaching a child to listen doesn’t just start with making sure your child is listening to you. You need to make sure you are listening to your child. I have found that the times that my son is throwing really large tantrums is when he feels unheard. Oftentimes, I will remove him from the stimulation and just let him cry and talk.
This allows for him to communicate with me exactly what he is upset about. Sometimes these tantrums are a very easy fix.
Just last weekend, my son was having a pretty ridiculous meltdown. I knew it was because he was overtired. We had skipped nap time to go swimming with our cousins. Family time comes before most things in our house.
After about 15 minutes of not being able to console him, I removed him and brought him up to his room. I held him and asked him what he needed. He finally sucked back the tears and let me know he was hungry.
Really kid, you are hungry? That was it?
I asked him what it was he wanted to eat and he said exactly that. He also said he just wants to watch a movie. We agreed that if we were all done with this tantrum I would make him up a snack and start a movie.
He was happy the rest of the night.
Independence
Letting your child learn to be independent in the correct ways can help them be ready for preschool. Helping water the garden, grabbing their plate or bowl for lunch, picking out their outfit for the day, or grabbing their shoes before you leave can help with this.
When they get to preschool, there are going to be many things they will need to do independently, such as washing their hands or putting away toys and books.
Sharing
Okay, this one is tough. There are definitely times when sharing seems like the worst thing in the world to kids. My son is notorious for not wanting to share with his sister.
Enter Daniel Tiger again! No seriously, check DT out! If you aren’t into screen time, there are so many books with Daniel Tiger that mirror the same lessons of sharing!
One way that we teach sharing in our house is by showing the rewards of sharing. One is that if we share with our sister this time, she will most likely be willing to share with you next time.
We added sharing to our reward chart, which has helped him significantly!
What is the best age to Start Preschool?
The best age to start preschool is between the ages of 3-5. There really is no exact answer because I cannot stress enough that every child is so different. Their learning needs differ from each other making it hard to say that every child needs to start preschool at 3 or 4.
My son was recently screened to start preschool in the fall. My son is 3 and he did really well at screening. With that being said, he did not get in. I was bummed but I understood that the 4-year-olds get priority and 3-year-olds that need early intervention.
I knew that if he did not get in for this fall, then we would start prepping him for preschool at home.
How to Prepare Your Child for Before Starting Preschool
Make Preschool Prep Fun
It is so easy to make preschool prep fun! You do not need to make them sit down for hours a day and trace letters and numbers. No! Stop! They will not want to learn.
I love making worksheets for my son to work on as he desires. These Preschool Prep Worksheets have helped my son learn to write, trace letters and numbers, and learn colors, and objects.
You get so many sheets at a great price!
Read Books
Reading to kids is so important. I am guilty of reaching bedtime and wanting to shut the lights off and close the door. I mean, that time is your only alone time (if you are lucky!).
It is so easy and quick to read a few stories with your kids at bedtime and during the day. They learn how to say different words, learn different objects and proper grammar.
I mentioned Daniel Tiger earlier, and this is because I really do think a lot of children’s shows try to teach kids life lessons but fall short.
Not Daniel Tiger 🙂
Check out these titles:
Preschool Visit/Tour/Screening
I already talked about how I brought my son to a preschool screening. What even is preschool screening?
Basically, a preschool teacher brought my son into the classroom and evaluated him on different aspects of a 3-year-old. They evaluated his speech, language, ability to listen and follow a story, and sharing.
I wasn’t in the room with him so I am not completely sure what exactly was asked and looked at.
Discuss Your Child’s Fears
One thing my son is very good at is communicating his wants and desires. I know exactly what my son wants to snack on and when he wants to see his grandparents.
One thing that he just does not communicate well is his fears. Or at least he used to be poor at it until we worked with him on communication.
We now discuss what he is afraid of and how he is feeling about things. An example of this is when we moved him to a toddler bed from his crib.
We went through a period of him crying and running out of his room at night because he was “scared”. I will probably write another post at some point on how we got our 3 year old to stop jumping out of bed really soon!
According to Zero to Three, open communication with toddlers is so powerful and this will help them prepare for preschool.
Age 3 Milestones
Physical
Every 3-year-old is different. A child could be anywhere from the 10th percentile to the 99th, it does not mean much in terms of development.
You can promote healthy physical growth with whole food nutrition, good sleep, and daily physical activity. Teaching children to choose healthy snacks and meals starts with the choices you make!
Some physical milestones 3 year old can do is run and jump, ride a tricycle, wash and dry their own hands, dress and undress (within reason), and nearing being potty trained.
Related Articles:
How To Potty Train Your Toddler in 3 Days
Verbal
Your three-year-old is probably talking up a storm! Probably able to say anywhere from 300-400 words, speaking up to 5-word sentences, and be understood by others.
Again, your 3-year-old is probably saying “please” and “thank you”.
They finally can refer to themselves by their name and may even sing rhymes and songs they have heard.
Mental
Even though 3-year-olds do not say a whole lot, they certainly can understand a lot. They understand:
- Size difference
- Past or future tense like saying yesterday and tomorrow
- Pronouns and uses them properly
- The dreaded “why?” (on repeat!)
- Tries to fix problems
- Remembers absolutely everything
Social
Child-to-child interaction is so important to master before starting preschool. All preschool is, is a full day of child interaction! How each child interacts can vary from each child. I cannot stress enough that every child is very different!
With that being said, some commonalities between children’s social behavior include:
- Taking turns with toys
- Sharing objects
- Emotional expressions
- Handling anger better by age 3
Sleep
According to Child Health of Orange County, a 3-year-old should sleep anywhere between 11-13 hours a night. They might take a nap during the day still. I know my son still does.
As he gets older, his nap has shortened and he sleeps pretty well at night with no interruptions.
Encouraging good sleep habits can help a child with any sleeping issues they are facing. These good sleep habits include encouraging a healthy dinner, no late-night snacks or sugary drinks, let them wind down, and having a bedtime routine.
Related Article:
How I Sleep Trained My Baby in Three Nights
Transition Strategies for Preschool
Preparation
The best way for your child to be ready for preschool is to take the time to prepare them for it. Using Preschool Preparation Worksheets is a great way to introduce education to your child. You can also read books about going to preschool such as this one!
Countdown to Preschool
A great way to get your little one ready to go to preschool is to create a countdown! Remember those Christmas countdown link chains we made in school? It is such as a fun way to get your child excited for preschool!
Transition Personal Object
In my son’s daycare preschool, he is able to bring a personal object for naptime. This helped him transition because he has always napped with his “dog dog” and “blankie”. These two items still go to daycare with him.
If your preschool lets your child bring a personal item, you should think about letting them take that with them.
Make Preschool Exciting, not Stressful!
Children react to events based on how they see their parents reacting. If you seem stressed about your little one starting preschool, then your child will most likely feel stressed.
If you are super excited about your child starting preschool then your child will be excited too!
Consistency
Creating a routine for school can be extremely beneficial once your child enters preschool. Once they are in a classroom setting, everything is on schedule.
Your child’s teacher will certainly thank you for having a well-mannered and organized child!
Ready to Go?
Make sure your child is ready to go to preschool with these school day essentials! Making the transition to school can be challenging. Create a fun experience by finding a new backpack, lunchbox, school supplies, and a fun sign for the first day of school!
Backpack
There are so many options for backpacks. Check out one of these L.L. Bean Backpacks that you can customize to your child’s likes!
Lunchbox
The best thing about getting an L.L Bean Backpack is they have matching lunchboxes! I love L.L. Bean because the quality is five-star. You won’t need to worry about a zipper breaking the first month or a rip starting before winter break.
School Supplies List Shopping
Always be sure to have the school supplies shopping list that your child’s school sends home in the summertime. They usually will tell you exactly what your student will need for the first week of school. If they don’t, it is possible it will come home during the first week!
Conclusion
I know the thought of sending your child to school can be exciting and bittersweet! You are watching your “baby” grow up each day faster than you could have ever imagined. The last thing you want to do is hold them back from educational growth! Now you know what your child should know before starting preschool.
Getting your child prepared for preschool as soon as possible will only help with this major transition. I wish you and your toddler a ton of luck in this new journey.
Before you go, if you missed your free Reward Chart, you can sign up to hear more from me and grab your free editable reward chart to your email! If you know other moms of young kids going to preschool soon, repin this post and share the love!
XOXO
Olivia