Children, especially very young ones, have little control over their lives. That’s why, at times, they are likely to play up, have tantrums, and generally make your life difficult. But, in their early years, through all of this, they have a consistent companion. That’s you.
When you look at it like that it’s little wonder that your child is anxious about going to a preschool, even if it is the best early learning Chatswood.
Fortunately, it doesn’t need to result in separation problems. You need to overcome the separation anxiety in toddlers You simply need to lay some groundwork first.
Create A Goodbye Ritual
There will be times when a parent leaves a child. In most cases, the child will be left with the other parent or a family member. The child is content because they know what is happening and what to expect.
This is the perfect time to create a simple goodbye ritual. All you have to do is give them a hug and a kiss, tell them you love them and say goodbye. Then, you must leave straight away.
The ritual tells the child you’re leaving but experience tells them you will be back. That same ritual can be used when dropping them at preschool, making it easier for them as they know you will come back.
The key to this working is to be consistent with your approach. Your approach can and should be personal, just make sure you repeat the same thing each time.
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Communicate With Them To Reduce Separation Anxiety
Children may have a limited vocabulary range but they are very good at understanding you. The best approach is to sit and tell them why they are going to preschool, what will happen, and that you will be back to pick them up.
Then, act it out with them. Children generally love role-play and this is a great way for them to understand what is going to happen and feel confident about it.
READ MORE: How To Correctly Bring Up A Child With Autism
Practice
The closer you get to pre-school the more opportunities you should find to say goodbye and leave them for a short while. The length of this leaving period can get longer each time. Practice is good for your child and even gets you a little time to do chores or pamper yourself. You probably deserve it.
Pay Attention To Overcome Separation Anxiety In Toddlers
Your child may want to communicate something to you when saying goodbye. This could be something they have thought of or an extra part of the ritual they want to include. Let them have their moment before you complete the ritual. It is very important that, when you say goodbye, your attention is completely on your child.
This helps to reassure them and makes the drop-off easier.
Visit The Preschool
The key to regularly having good drop-offs is to stick to a routine. But, before the first drop-off occurs, you’ll find it beneficial to take your child to preschool and let them see the place. It’s a lot easier to go off by themselves if they know what to expect.