Right now my days are busyyyyyy. From the moment we wake up in the morning we are going nonstop crossing things off our to do list, running errands, going to joy school, and participating in activities!
I started doing class type things with Reagan when she was four months old! I was home during the day, had just moved to a new city where I knew NO ONE, and I needed something to do. I signed her up for a Kindermusic class–she loved the music and games and I loved having something to look forward to twice a week!
As she got older and once baby sis came along, we started doing more things on our own. Reagan was always very shy and nervous, and I was starting to be seriously concerned with how she would handle starting preschool in a couple years (yes, I was concerned about this YEARS in advance).
Once we moved to another new city where we once again, knew nobody, I decided it was time to get her involved in more group activities. We met some friends who did dance class, so I signed Reagan up. The first SIX WEEKS were horrible. She didn’t want to dance, and just sat there in the corner crying and begging to be let out of class. Or she refused to go in at all and we would just leave early. I didn’t want to give up, so I enrolled her for another six weeks with a different teacher to see how things would go.
NOPE. Girlfriend was not having it. At one point I was dragging her out of the dance room while she was literally kicking and screaming and I broke down in tears on the floor of the rec center. It was bad.
BUT THEN.
The next week we got to dance class with her little friend, they went in together, and she danced! She’s been happily dancing for about 6 months now, and looks forward to it every week.
Not only did she become more comfortable with dance class, but she quickly started talking to kids at the playground, went into her new older kid church class with ZERO PROBLEMS, and excitedly ran into the gym day care on her first day.
I am 100% convinced that enrolling her in dance and sticking with it for EIGHT weeks until she overcame her fear and learned to love it has helped take her from scared and nervous toddler to confident and capable little girl. And I know she’s going to do so well at preschool next year!
All this to say, I think there are several things that you could and should engage your child in before enrolling them in school to give them a head start and prepare them for school. Here is a list of my personal favorites, and things that have noticeably helped my kids with their confidence in new surroundings!
1.A group class or activity: there are baby and toddler music classes all over the community, just good search and you’ll find a whole list. Other things could be soccer, art class, cooking class, park meet ups and play dates.
2. An individual activity: things that can be done in a group, but focus on the individual. I truly believe this helps them build confidence in themselves as opposed to relying on someone else in a group. Think dance class, gymnastics, t-ball, music lessons, swim lessons, etc.
3. A learning environment: it can be hard to go from zero schooling to preschool if there isn’t a transition or preparatory period! We have loved doing joy school with Reagan and her friends, it’s been good practice for me learning how to teach and a great way for the kid to practice learning. It’s very flexible, most of the time they kids are just playing, but it teaches them how to interact with each other and learn concepts in a fun and age appropriate way. Day care is another great place for kids to learn how to go into a social situation and thrive, we have loved going to the gym day care and Elliott has had the practice way before Reagan did.
Reagan starts real preschool in about 6 months, and I am so much more comfortable and confident that she’s going to love it! She has grown up so much this year, and I know it’s because we gave her the tools and situations to learn and grow. I am so proud of her, and I am excited for her new ventures next year!
