Two Techniques To Introduce A Child To Daycare
Posted on: 3 August 2020
Will you be going back to work full-time and need to have your child attend daycare? If so, you're likely wondering what the best way is to transition them to this new environment that they have never been in before. Here are two techniques that can help your child with the transition.
Indirect Transition
One technique that can be really great for a child is an indirect introduction to the idea of school and daycare. It starts by introducing them to stories about the concept that you can read before they go to bed. Even though many of the books out there are about the transition to kindergarten, the concept still applies to a daycare. Your child will learn about the idea of schools, teachers, classrooms, and being away from mom and dad during the day. Instead of daycare seeming like a scary place, stories will make it seem like a fun environment where they can play and make new friends.
When you're finished reading the stories, you can ask your child questions about what happened in the stories. For example, did the main character feel scared or excited about the transition? What kind of things happen when a child is at school? What role does the teacher play at the school? These can help introduce the idea of daycare and ease your child into the transition.
Direct Transition
Now that your child is familiar with the concept of school and daycare, you can start talking about how they may feel if they were to start attending a daycare. You'll learn about all the things that they are excited or scared about, which can help guide you in providing reassurance. If your child is worried about being away from you during the day and excited about making new friends, you can explain to them how they'll be having so much fun that they won't realize that mom and dad are not there.
It will also be worth having your child visit their future daycare in person before they start going. This can give your child something to look forward to. They may see all the toys and kids, and now know exactly what it will be like when they start attending. This can make the dropoff on the very first day go smoother because the environment will not be as scary since your child has seen it in the past.
Reach out to your daycare for more tips on how to help your child transition to this new environment. Contact a local daycare like Learning Tree Schools to learn more.
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