How to prepare yourself for the first week at preschool

Putting a toddler in pre-school is more unnerving for the parents than for the kids. The child, who has been brought up in a protected environment so far, is going to face the unknown world. Parents become apprehensive about each and every detail of the child. They worry about their safety, behaviour, food, and everything else that can be worried about. It is really important for the parents to be in control of the situation, otherwise they will end up intimidating the child.

Given below are some tips that can help the parents in preparing for the first week at preschool:

* Don’t rush: It’s best to let the child sleep early the previous night so that he can wake up on time. Do not rush him. Just chill, relax and take deep breaths while trying to get the child ready. You really do not want to see him throw tantrums, which are too difficult to control.
* Arrive a little early: It would be a good idea to bring your child early to the school. That way, the child will have some time to get adjusted to the new environment. He might also end up making some new friends.
* Send his favourite toy: Usually kids are attached to some of their toys, which help in comforting them. So, send his favourite toy with him so that he can cling on to it, if he feels insecure or scared in the new settings. Once things are settled, he will let go of the toy by himself.
* Try to look happy and cheerful: Sometimes, emotions are contagious and kids grasp these emotions from their parents quickly. Try to exude confidence and happiness, so that the child also feels happy and confident.
* Give him some space: For the initial few days, it would be good to hang around in the pre-school, so that the child feels secure. But, try to give him some space so that he gets a chance to mingle with other kids and the teacher, and develops a comfort zone.
* Exit, without much ado: Do not prolong your good-byes. Better to keep them short, otherwise the child will start getting emotional. Also, do not sneak away from the child when he is looking elsewhere. Develop trust in the child.

While some kids take very little time to adjust to the new surroundings, a lot of kids do take a longer time. But, this should not make you worried. A good preschool in Singapore will put your child at ease very soon.

Top six activities that focus on cognitive skill development of your child

Children, at the initial stage of learning, tend to learn fast and pick cues quickly. Those years are extremely critical for a child’s development and in laying down the foundation of a successful future. Cognitive skills include memory, thinking and attention. These skills help a child to learn, evaluate, analyze, remember and compare things from each other. Most of these cognitive skills are taught to children through practice and different activities. Listed below are few of these that can help in your child’s development:

Sing a song – Doctors always recommend talking and singing to your babies whether they are responding or not. Children love to hear music around them. Sing your child’s favorite song and ask him to join along. Memory improvement and word identification gets improved with this activity.

Practice Counting – There are ample opportunities throughout the day that can help in practicing counting. You can ask your child to count the shoes while he is getting dressed or count the number of stairs that he had to climb. Again, memory and attention to detail are the targeted skills in this activity.

Practice the alphabet – Sing the alphabet song to your child and read books to him. Alphabet books and puzzles in particularly are helpful in alphabet recognition. You can also buy colored sand and a tray for your child and encourage him to write alphabets on sand.

Practice shapes and colors – Show your child a round blue ball in the playground or a red round signal when you halt at a traffic light. Once your child has some understanding, you can also ask him to describe these objects to you.

Asking questions – An easy way to help your child learn is by asking simple questions. “Is the tree blue?” or “what did you have dinner last night?” are simple questions that can be asked. Asking helps children to learn how to solve problems and also understand their surroundings.

Play items – Your household items can be easily used for educational purpose and become fun and cost effective too. Ask your child to match the pots with their lids. His mirror image can help him identify his nose, eyes and cheeks.

These activities can be easily performed at home or while you are travelling. The staff in playgroups in Singapore is trained to use these and many more to enhance the cognitive skills of your child. The programs are designed in a way to target the specific skills for a child at a certain age.