When is my child ready for preschool?

As a parent, understanding when your child should go to preschool can be a tough decision to make. Here are three thoughts that might help make it an easier decision.

What is your motivation?
Understanding if preschool is more of a need for you or for you child can be helpful in your approach to making your decision. If you have been at home with them most of the time, would preschool give you a much needed break? If you are working full time, would it be a better alternative to a nanny or the close family? Or is it because you are okay with the previous two and your child wants more stimulation?

No matter what the challenge is, they are all okay. There is no wrong answer. According to University of Denver early learning researcher, Dr. Amanda Moreno, you can save yourself the guilt. She says, “Even if you want to send your child just to ‘get a break,’ you can feel good about the fact that preschool is providing you the gift of sanity which helps you be a better parent, and as a bonus, your child is gaining new skills and probably enjoying himself to boot.”

Prompt yourself with questions and write down your answers. Sometimes writing them down, rather than simply thinking of them, will help better ignite your internal dialogue.

Is she/he socially ready?
Making sure your child is equipped with the social skills that might be needed. This will help them with their confidence and self esteem in a group social setting. Understanding how your child communicates, cooperates, and/or coexists can also shed some light into your timing with your decision.
Many doctors suggest mini-trials of situations that address these topics, prior to making the preschool decision. Organizing more playdates and observing their behavior of how they handle these situations will help you make a more educated decision on the matter. Try role-playing to improve their social/emotional behavior with common social situations.

Is he/she behaviorally ready?
Most preschools follow a schedule and host educational play time. Helping your children become familiar with routines, acclimating to timed activities, and paying attention to a teacher can increase their comfort levels when attending preschool.

Your child doesn’t necessarily have to act like a marine. As long as they can focus on a puzzle, or a drawing for a few minutes you are okay. However, getting them familiar with a schedule and timeliness is important. You can start by following a routine at home. If your child is a bit difficult, doctors say having your children attend half-day programs before the full-day transition can aid in the process.

There is no single correct answer for when your child is ready for preschool. However, we do hope that this post helps generate an internal dialogue to help make the decision. If you want to discover more, you can take the Parents Magazine “Is Your Child Ready for Preschool?” quiz provided for you here: http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/preparing/quiz-is-your-child-ready-for-preschool/