Use Books & Videos to Prepare Your Child for Preschool

Books and videos are a fabulous way to introduce and prepare your child to the world of preschool. There are many books on the market about a child’s first day at school, but videos are fewer. Entering a new environment filled with unfamiliar faces can send any kid into a come-apart episodes. Books and videos can create the foundation for introducing your child to the concept of transitioning from home to preschool.

What to look out for

Please be aware of books and videos that use words like scared, jitters, nervous, etc. Don’t plant the seeds of doubt and anxiety into your child. Going to school is a big milestone in your child’s life, it needs to be a positive experience for them and you.

Create a Positive Message

We recommend books and videos that address the first day of school in a more positive way. In one of my favorite first-day books, the character exclaims that he doesn’t want to go to school. Here’s where you need to know your child. That sentence could be enough to send your kid over the edge, while others can’t wait to see what happens next.

How Books & Videos Prepare Your Child for Preschool

Books and videos help children visualize themselves in a new situation. If you and your child got the opportunity to visit their first classroom before school starts that’s great, but it’s not exactly the same thing. For starters, they were with you. If your child has separation anxiety you wouldn’t have seen it them. Also, the classroom was most likely just you, your child and the teacher. As any parent knows repetition is the name of the game. Books and videos create the opportunity to visit the classroom over and over again. The new concept becomes more familiar and the story always has a happy ending. And the best ones do it while exposing your child to every aspect of preschool from start to finish—including drop-off, a full classroom and daily activities like Charlie’s First Day-I Have Butterflies In My Tummy.

Animated vs. Real Characters

Many books and videos use animated characters to tell the story. Children truly love animation, but sometimes an animated character in the story can create anxiety and fear. Something to consider is pictures of real children in the classroom. This is automatically more relatable for your child because it’s grounded in reality. If your child is watching others that look like them instead of a cartoon character they will understand that is reality. A cartoon world may be whimsical where certain things happen that can’t in the real world. Showing your child a classroom environment in the real world means all the rules a predefined—rules they know and understand. A combination of both live action and animation is the best choice.

Do your homework. Choose books and videos that are the best fit for your child. Cuddle up together and enjoy the wonderful world of preschool.

We talk a lot about how to prepare your child for preschool because we’re the preschool experts. Books and videos are a great place to start. How have you prepared your child for preschool?