How to Prepare a Child for Daycare

Sending your child to daycare for the first time can be overwhelming for both the parent and the child. Transitioning into an environment with new faces and new routines can be a bit much to take on. But by sufficiently talking about and even involving your child in the process, making the switch from home care to daycare can be done with minimal anxiety for the parent or child.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Prepare the way. Draw pictures or read book about going to daycare. Arrange play dates or visits with their soon-to-be classmates. An advance meeting of the kids they will spend many hours with will go a long way to fostering acceptance and easing the stress of learning new kids. Visit the facility ahead of time. An opportunity to know where they will be going makes it clearer in his child’s mind where he or she will be when the discussions about daycare are brought up at home.

2. Plan a special celebration leading up to your child’s big first day. Count down the days on the calendar and maintain a level of sincere, but heightened excitement about the new transition.

3. Talk to your child about what he or she can expect at daycare. Explain the daily schedule of activities, snacks and naps. Allow your child to take a special blanket or stuffed animal to use at naptime.

4. Prepare your child’s favorite meal, choose a special outfit the day before and get the whole family involved in an evening of fun. Keep a positive attitude about the new transition as children easily detect and feed off an adult’s emotions.

5. Develop a special way of saying goodbye when dropping your child off and a special way to say hello when picking them up later in the day. Plan plenty of time to pick up and drop off your child to avoid building up tension or unnecessary anxiety. Don’t sneak out of the room when leaving your child. Let them know you are leaving and when you will return.