Preparing Children for Preschool

by Betsy Van Dorn

My friend Earl has started looking at preschools for his son Jeff. Yesterday he was dithering -- really dithering -- about whether or not Jeff would be ready for the Big Move next fall. "I don't know what to tell him to expect," he complained.

It brought back a vivid memory of when, twenty years ago and dizzy with uncertainty, I pried my firstborn off my leg and turned his trembling self over to a wonderful young teacher named Sue Crystal.

Here's Sue Crystal's response:

"Often, a child is as ready to enter preschool as a parent is ready to let him or her go. Some parents are understandably anxious, but inevitably, the anxiety is picked up by the child. I try to remind parents that none of us ever knows exactly what to expect at every turn, and the preschool can be the ideal place to begin to explore that notion."

The usual, please

"Routines are essential for this age, yet so is flexibility. Routines are so important that if we reverse the order of the day (on April Fools day) and go out to play early, the children head straight for their lunchboxes when we come inside, even if it's only 9:30 in the morning! They're not hungry, but, oh, how they depend on the routine of eating lunch after playing outside! It makes them feel safe and gives them some sense of predictability in their young lives. At the same time, it's important to maintain flexibility within the routines, so that children feel their needs are respected."

"One of the biggest joys working with preschoolers is their capacity for imaginary play. Fantasy is a key part of our program. It's amazing to watch children check the paper-mache dinosaur eggs to see when they will hatch. Do they forget that they got gooey making the eggs? Sometimes they worry that a carnivore will hatch!"

A walk in the woods

"Children this age have a fascination for nature. An ant or centipede entering the classroom can be much more exciting than the lesson the teacher worked an hour to prepare. People who complain that their children won't walk don't know that old trick of giving the child a brown paper bag to collect things along the way. My class knows where the mint grows on the way to the woods and can find the peeling sycamore trees. They know that when we get near the railroad tracks and a train comes by we can hug a tree and that will make us invisible. At the same time, it's important to tell them what is real or make-believe, since at this age making sense of reality is important."

"I love the total candor that prompts the kind of interactions that take place in preschool. This candor can also be painful -- as in an angry preschooler's biggest threat: YOU CAN'T COME TO MY BIRTHDAY PARTY! I think the purest form of honesty exists at this age and leaves as the child grows. That's as it should be, I guess, but I'm sure glad I'm here at the early stage!

More on: Your Preschooler: Building Learning Skills