Preschool fears?

Question

My 3 y.o. will be attending preschool twice a week soon and she's never been left with a babysitter. We don't know anyone here that can watch her. Anyone have this experience, and how did your kid do when they were left alone at preschool? I'm afraid she won't understand that we'll be back because she has a speech delay and can't really talk to us about what she's feeling.

Answer 1

I stayed in the office the first week with a book and let her know I was right down the hall, she saw me once and then I told her since everything went well, I would be outside in the car. And she never had a problem after that. (Of course I was not really in the car)

Answer 2

Before she goes to scholl talk to her teacher about your concerns and your child's communication problem. Teachers face this all the time - it is the parents that have a hard time because this is new and they love their kids so much.

At my niece's school they had the parents stay down the hall the first morning and I believe the kids were told that mommy was down the hall for awhile.

Most likely she will have a better day than you. But when it is time to leave her just kiss and go and don't let her cling and make it a drama - that will just get both of you worked up and make it harder. Most kids that do cry quiet down and start to participate in the activities with the other kids.

Answer 3

well your child might not like preschool for the first two to 4 days b/c they are getting used to going to preschool. but then the are going to start liking to go to preschool and meet new friends and play games. they will also be good for them to learn new things and to play with other people. also it doesn't matter if they have speech delay or not they would have a good time. my cousin had speech delay and when he went to preschool he meet a lot of new friends and liked it alot.

Answer 4

I had the same experience , believe me its more traumatic for you than its going to be for her, she will have a great time toys, movies,  nap time , well maybe not nap time but you get the idea

Answer 5

she shouldn't be scared she will make new friends and everything so goi

Answer 6

Even if she has a speech delay, it does not mean that she does not understand you.  Explain to her that you will come back after "nap time" or "snack time" or whenever you will be coming back - this will give her a clear event to wait for.  She will likely be upset for a few days, and that will be tough for you.  But, usually once you've left, children calm down pretty quick.

Answer 7

You don't need to worry. When he/she sees other kids and lots of toys, he/she will soon forget about you. But don't be late in coming back for him or her. When he/she acclimatize, there won't be problem again.

Answer 8

A lot of little kids go through this. There are even first graders that cry after their parents. What you need to do is sit down and talk with her (before her first day of preschool), and tell her that you will leave once you drop her off. Tell her that preschool is a lot of fun, and that you'll be back to pick her up at a certain time.

You have to let her know that she will have plenty of fun activities to do. Otherwise, she won't have anything to look forward to. Make it a game for her. Tell her how fun it is and how many new things she'll learn about. Tell her about all the kids that will be around her age and how many friends she'll make.

Whatever you do, don't allow her to cling to you when you get there. When you get to the place, just tell her you love her, kiss her, and leave. The longer you stick around, the harder it will be on both of you.

Whatever "troubles" she faces at the beginning, they will slowly begin to go away. I don't know a single child that dislikes preschool. Once she realizes that it's not that bad, she'll look forward to it.

Answer 9

It is important that you do not show your child that you are unsure or concerned about her attending preschool.  If you are positive about the whole experience then she will more likely feel positive about preschool.  Children pick up on their parents fears and insecurities and this has a negative impact on them. Talk about all the positives about preschool, walk or drive past the preschool several times before starts,and she will have a great time.

Answer 10

We just went through this with our grandson!!! It was pretty traumatic for all of us! lol He had never been left with anyone but close family members & we had the same concerns that you did, will he think we've abandoned him, what if someone is mean to him, how will the teachers know what he's saying? (he's 2) My first suggestion is to pick a very highly reccomended preschool. Then start taking to her about it, take her to visit for a few minutes a few times (any preschool that won't let you do this, I wouldn't reccomend) but only for a few min. as you will interupt the flow of things there. The first few times you leave her only leave her for a few hours. Most of the children in my grandsons preschool class cried for about 2 weeks when they were left! My grandson did too but now he LOVES going! We didn't think we were going to make it through it but we all did! lol Hang in there & you'll see it will be beneficial in the long run & it might even help with her language development.

Answer 11

explain her life is a game.. and she will play from now on on the next level :) cool, huh ?