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It is highly possible that you’re having difficulty coping with your child’s impending first day of preschool. However, taking the steps to prepare them for their first day can go a long way toward preventing issues and ensuring the most positive experience for both you and your child. The right preparation is key in ensuring that your child gets the best head start for their preschool education. Here are a few of the best tips for preparing your child for their first day of preschool.

Sort through your Own Emotions

Mixed feelings are incredibly common in parents when their children get to the age where they are preparing for preschool. It is common for you to feel sad, excited, proud, and any other mix of emotions. Children pick up on your emotions. If you are anxious about your child attending preschool on their first day, they will pick up on this and will start their day with anxiety. When you take the time to sort through your own emotions regarding their attendance at preschool, you will be able to provide a calm front on their first day. This will ensure that they start the day being similarly calm. By sorting through your own emotions, you reduce the chances of causing your child to be anxious on their first day of preschool.

Visit the Preschool Together

Before their first day of preschool, you will likely want to visit the preschool together. This helps to ensure that they are able to become familiar with the environment with your comforting presence. When they are more familiar with the environment, it will be more comfortable for them after you leave on their first day of preschool. By visiting the preschool together, you can help to ease them into the idea of being there without you. This may also help them to get to know the teachers or other students before they attend preschool, which can also help to ensure a much more comfortable environment.

Start the Day Early

The last thing you want is to be rushing through the morning routine on their first day of preschool. This can cause them to easily become overwhelmed and anxious. You should also attempt to be there early on their first day. This helps to ensure that you can spend ample time on a goodbye, without hovering. You don’t want to rush the goodbye on the first day, because this can simply exacerbate your child’s anxiety about their first day at preschool. Starting the day early can help to get them off on the right foot on that day.

Send a Comfort Object

Comfort objects can include anything familiar that reminds them of home. This will help them to comfort themselves when they start to miss being at home. Family photos are often fairly easy to send along with them to help remind them of home. Other options include familiar blankets, clothes that smell like you, or other potentially comforting objects. These can go a long way toward improving their first day at preschool.

Start a Morning Routine

Routine is incredibly important for children. It is crucial to ensure that you get them on a routine before their first day at preschool. You likely want to start working on the routine approximately a week prior to their first day. Implement regular bedtimes and waking up times. Follow the same steps every morning to get them ready for the day. You will want to use this exact same morning routine on their first day of preschool. This will help to start them on a familiar path before their routine is changed by preschool, which should reduce their overall anxiety at the school.

Give them some Control

Provide your children with as much control as possible regarding the situation to help reduce stress and increase their excitement. Allow them to pick out their own school supplies, such as a backpack or lunchbox. They will likely feel like they have little control over the situation when they begin to attend preschool. By allowing them to choose out these small things, they will be more excited and less stressed out about school.

Mimic Preschool’s Rules and Routines

When you start to regulate your child’s regular routine, you will want to try and get them on a schedule as close to the preschool’s as possible. Consult with the preschool and learn about their routine. This will help you to add these rules and routines into your child’s daily life. For example, if the preschool has their normal naptime at noon, but you have your naptime around 2, you will want to start easing the naptime closer to that of the preschool. The same thing should apply to their meal or snack times, various activities, and more. This will help to ease them into their new routine at preschool.

Don’t Sneak Out

Many parents are tempted to sneak out on the first day in order to avoid the possibility of hysterics. However, this can actually be detrimental to your child’s well-being. When you sneak out, the child doesn’t know what to expect about when you’ll be back or anything else. This often exacerbates any separation anxiety that they may have. However, you also shouldn’t hover excessively during your goodbyes. Keep the goodbye short and sweet but be sure that you don’t sneak out and that your child knows when you will be back.

Taking the steps to prepare your child for preschool will go a long way toward ensuring a far more positive experience. When you take these steps, your child will be better equipped to have a positive initial experience at preschool. To learn more about what to expect on the first day of preschool or how to help your child prepare for preschool, contact our team at Corner Canyon Academy today!

Preschool is capable of impacting child development in an array of ways. There are many benefits that can occur when a child receives early education and attends preschool. It can be frustrating to know the best ways to prepare your child for school, but preschool can be an exceptionally beneficial first step to take. At the Corner Canyon Academy, we are dedicated to providing you with the knowledge necessary to allow your children to get the best start possible. Here are a few ways that preschool impacts child development in order to ensure that you have the information that is necessary to make the best possible decision for your children.

Cognitive Development

A great deal of learning occurs in the early years of life. This is often why it is easier for children to learn new languages or skills, such as playing an instrument, when they are young. Many studies have shown that as much as 90% of the total brain development of an individual occurs by the time they reach the age of 6. When they are supported throughout this time, there will be a positive impact on their development. However, when they have negative experiences during this time, there will likely be a negative impact on their cognitive development. Attending preschool can help to form stronger connections in the brain, as the child begins to learn. In addition, the skills that are practiced during preschool can go a long way toward enhancing cognitive development in childhood.

Emotional Development

A child learns to express and handle their emotions while attending preschool. This helps to ensure that they are able to handle frustrations and learn how to overcome problems during child development. Emotional development is one of the major benefits that come along with attendance at preschool. Preschool often provides an environment where children have to handle challenges when they arise, rather than relying on their parents to take care of any obstacles. With the emotional development that comes along with attendance of preschool, children are often better able to regulate their emotions and deal with them. This is an incredibly important part of learning and growing.

Improved Academic Achievement

Attending preschool often helps to ensure that children are better prepared for challenges in the academic world. They will develop skills that allow them to overcome obstacles that will occur throughout their academic career. Many children that have been in preschool have found much more success through elementary school and beyond. These preparations and aid in cognitive development help to ensure that academic achievement is far more likely. Through regularly attending preschool, your child will often develop skills that will allow them to focus more effectively and make the most of their studies. They will also often have experience working with other mediums, such as art, that can improve their development.

Increased Kindergarten Readiness

Preparing for kindergarten is one of the greatest benefits of attending preschool. Many studies have shown that preschool goes a long way toward increasing kindergarten readiness. In fact, it is often the case that preschool helps to bridge the gap between kindergarten readiness in low-income areas and those in higher-income areas. Without preschool, there tends to be a large gap between the kindergarten readiness in children raised in various income levels. When you enroll your child in preschool, they will often be much more ready for kindergarten.

Social Skill Development

During preschool, your child will have the opportunity to work and play with other children. This social interaction helps to ensure that they are able to form close relationships and develop social skills that will help them to succeed in life. Group activities can help them to learn how to work alongside other individuals and develop the ability to cooperate. These activities can also help to improve emotional development, because they will have to handle the prospect of not being in complete control all of the time. Social skill development is just one of the many benefits that come with attending preschool.

Preschool can be an incredibly beneficial step for any child. All children can benefit from the advantages of attending preschool. From improved cognitive and emotional development and the development of valuable skills, there are many ways that preschool can improve child development. When you are debating if you want to enroll your child in preschool, it is especially useful to understand all the benefits that preschool can provide. Our expert team at Corner Canyon Academy is dedicated to providing the various services that can give your child the best head start in life. To learn more about how preschool impacts child development, contact us at Corner Canyon Academy today!

It can be incredibly frustrating to keep your kids entertained during this particular period of time, especially considering how limited many activities have been. Most children had to finish up the school year online and many public activities have been restricted due to the prevalence of coronavirus. However, there are still many ways that you can keep your kids busy throughout this summer. Summer is a time where you can bond with your children and help them to develop valuable skills for their future. Here are a few ways that you can keep your kids busy in the summer.

Cooking Days

Choose a day of the week where you spend some time cooking or baking with your children. Not only will this be a fun activity for them, but it will also help them to develop lifelong skills. In addition, learning how to cook or bake will provide them with greater appreciation for making healthy, delicious meals that can improve their long-term nutrition. It is often easiest to choose a single day of the week for this activity because it may require some preparation and often results in a substantial amount of cleaning, depending on what you have chosen to make that day.

Start a Garden

Planting a garden is a great use of your and your children’s time during the summer months. When you work through all of the stages of gardening with your children, they will learn a great deal about plants and how they develop. This will entertain your children, teach them a substantial amount, and put some healthy, delicious produce on your kitchen table.

Have a Picnic

A picnic is a fun change to your regular routine to incorporate into your life. You don’t have to travel far to have a picnic. Pack a lunch and take a quick trip to the closest park for a fun-filled afternoon with your children.

Go on a Treasure Hunt

A treasure hunt through your neighborhood is a great way to spend an afternoon. Craft some clues and hide some treasures for your kids to find throughout the hunt. This will go a long way toward providing your children with a fun opportunity throughout the summer months.

Sketch or Paint

Art has been shown to provide many positive benefits to children, whether they view it or create it. Add some sketching or painting time to your children’s regular routine. The creation of art will likely have a substantial positive impact on their development, as well as provide them with an enjoyable activity. Music can also be a beneficial use of time for your children. Consider starting music lessons during the summer months to help develop these skills for your children.

Make Jewelry

Jewelry making can be an extremely fun activity for your children. Visit a craft store and purchase some beads, chains, and other implementations to create beautiful jewelry. Not only will this be fun for your children, but it will provide them with lasting mementos that they can use to accessorize.

Go Swimming

Hot summer temperatures can lead to a great deal of discomfort. However, it also opens up many additional summertime activities. Swimming is one of the most popular of these activities. Consider taking your children for a swimming day. However, ensure that they wear their sunscreen, even if they don’t feel like it in the water! While they may not feel particularly hot in the pool, UV rays are often amplified by water, which can make them more vulnerable to nasty sunburns.

Enjoy a Nature Walk

An easy hike or a walk through the park can be a great way to spend your day! This can provide your children with the opportunity for valuable exercise while simultaneously allowing them to enjoy time outdoors. Do your research before going on a hike with your children to ensure that the hike will be age appropriate or that you will be able to carry your child as necessary. There are many family friendly hikes near the Salt Lake area, such as the Donut Falls hike in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Visit the Library

Reading is an extremely beneficial way for your children to spend their time. A visit to the library can provide hours of entertainment for your children. Additionally, many libraries offer summer programs to encourage reading during the summer months. These programs may include benefits like treats or other gifts. Check with your local library to find out if they offer a summer reading program for your child to enroll in. A visit to the library can also be incredibly beneficial for more than just reading because libraries often have movies and other sources of entertainment.

Make a Summer List

If you are having difficulty finding activities for to keep your kids busy this summer, you should create a “Things we Want to Do this Summer” list. Sit with your children and discuss summer activities that you would all enjoy doing. When you have a list written out, you will find it much easier to find something to do. This can also help you to plan activities in advance.

Camp in the Backyard

Camping doesn’t necessarily have to be far from your home, without all the amenities and comfort of your household. Set up a tent in the backyard and have an overnight camping trip! This can also be done in the living room if your climate would make for an uncomfortable outdoor experience. Alternatively, you can set up a blanket fort in the living room for additional fun experiences.

Preschool is an extremely valuable way for your children to spend their time. There are summer programs available to help keep kids busy during these months, when it is often much more difficult. At Corner Canyon Academy, we strive to provide you with the services that you need to keep your children happy and healthy. To get more ideas regarding keeping your kids busy during the summer months, contact our experts at Corner Canyon Academy today!