Your little one’s first day at nursery may be looming, or may be it’s their first day back after a break. Whichever scenario you are in, though, there are things you can do to make the transition to heading to nursery easier. We thought we’d share a few thoughts…
Useful tips for easing into a new routine
Your child may well be feeling nervous about the big day already but, odds on, you probably are too. Don’t worry. You’re not alone; parents feel this all the time and there are things you can do to reduce both your worries and those of your child.
A bit of play-acting prepares well
Between now and when they start, introduce some let’s-pretend activities into your day. Get them used to the ‘goodbye sequence’, and balance it with a warm and loving ‘hello sequence’ too. Act out what they’ll do when they arrive, like taking off their coat and hanging their bag on their peg.
Introduce the lunchbox
If they’re going to be staying for lunch, treat them to a new lunchbox and start using it for picnics and snacks. Discuss how the different sections or pockets in the lunchbox can be used for different things. Chat about what they can have for their lunch, and suggest snacks they can look forward to that they will only get at nursery.
Chat about the new routine ahead
Start talking about what will happen when they finally get to go. Children love routines and for them to know there will be structure that they can anticipate and understand will greatly help to allay their fears. You may need to get in touch with the nursery to find out about how they run their day; the staff will be more than willing to give you the information you need.
Start practising the new home routine too
A few days before the big day, shift your timing patterns to match how things will be once they start. We’re talking aspects such as going to bed routines, waking up and getting dressed, and having breakfast and packing their bag. All these things will familiarise them with what’s going to happen. Who knows, you may even discover some points you need to plan for that you hadn’t been aware of too!
Understand and acknowledge how you’re feeling as well
Your child will have concerns, and you’ll be chatting about these with them over the next few days. Thus, your focus will understandably be on ensuring they are prepared and comfortable. However, it’s important for you to acknowledge this is going to be a big change for you too. Your child will pick up on your anxieties if you have them, so be ready to turn this round positively and chat with them about how it’s ok to feel unsure sometimes. That will make them feel positive about themselves, and also help to ease your tension too.
The key thing, though, is to remember that this is an important stage of their development. It’s exciting. And being the loving and supportive parent that you are means they’ve had the best start they can have for moving through to this important new phase in their life.