When a child starts going to a new daycare center, it can be a bit of a rough go at first. This is pretty normal, so remember that you aren’t alone. There are some things that you can do to help make this transition easier for your child.
Check out these 4 tips on how to give your child an easy transition into daycare.
How To Give Your Child an Easy Transition Into Daycare
1) Visit the New Daycare with Your Child Before They Start
After you’ve made your choice of a daycare center, make sure to schedule a visit before your child starts so they can visit their classroom, meet their teacher, and become more familiar with the surroundings. Having a parent with them for the first visit will give kids a sense of comfort and stability and help them settle their nerves before their first official start day.
2) Start a New Routine Ahead of Time
Kids do better when they don’t have to handle too many new changes at once, so try starting a new routine a week or two before they are going to start at their new daycare. This will make transitioning on the first day of daycare much easier to handle.
This new routine should be consistent and reflect the kind of morning you want to have on daycare days. Be consistent in wake-up times, breakfast, and any other activities you want to include: reading, brushing their teeth, etc.
Whatever your plan is for your new routine, give your little ones enough time to transition into it so that it is normal for them, and then incorporating daycare won’t be as hard.
3) Speak Excitedly About Daycare To Your Child
You can help make the daycare transition easier for your child by hyping up the upcoming experience to them.
Talk to them about how fun it will be, the games they will play, and the friends they will make. This will not only build up their excitement but also their trust. When you speak encouragingly and enthusiastically about an experience, it helps build trust for your children as well. So make sure to try to help get them excited!
4) Keep Your Goodbyes Short and Sweet
This step can be the hardest, but it is incredibly important: keep your goodbyes short and sweet. This can be very hard when your child is screaming or crying at the prospect of being left at daycare, but just remember that your child is safe and okay.
Give them a comforting, confident hug, remember that your child is safe and okay and that the staff has the expertise to comfort and calm them, and then leave. The longer you stay the worse it will become, so make sure to make your goodbyes quick; children typically calm down after a few minutes.
Making your child’s transition into daycare easier is a long process, but it is worth it. What are the things you have done to help your children transition into a new daycare more easily?