Dropping your child off and saying goodbye can be emotional for both you and your child. Although most children adjust quickly to a new setting, some can have a hard time saying goodbye to their parents or caregivers.  Your encouragement and reassurance can help your child learn that they will be okay in their new preschool. Below are a few strategies to help you and your child with drop off.

Prepare your child prior to their first day of preschool.

By preparing your child for “what’s to come” you can reduce some of their anxiety. Be excited and positive when you talk about preschool. Talk with your child about how much fun they’re going to have, what things they can expect to happen throughout the day, as well as reassuring them that you will be back to get them. Let your child know that you are leaving and you will be back. You might say to your child “I’m going to leave in five minutes to go to work, but I'll come back to pick you up after lunch.

Resist the urge to linger.

Another way to help your child is by "dropping them off and going”. This can be hard because your child might be crying or clinging to you but the longer you stay the harder it becomes for you and your child. Remember, it is okay for a child to cry, and typically most children become actively engaged with play, a meal, or peers 10-15 minutes after a parent leaves. Surprisingly, many parents find the crying child they left that morning is now happily engaged in play and will sometimes now cry because they don’t want to leave!

Create a goodbye routine.

You can give your child a kiss to “hold” in their hand while you’re away. (“The Kissing Hand” by Audrey Penn is a sweet book where a mother raccoon reassures her child raccoon by kissing his paw) Some other ideas are to sing a special song together, give your child a small item from home to keep with them, or give them an extra big bear hug.

Hang in there, be patient, and positive while everyone adjusts! 

Hang in there! New experiences and transitions may be difficult, but remember that it will get better with time! Make sure you prepare your child beforehand and reassure them that you will return to pick them up. This is a huge comfort for kids.

Thank you to Ms. Katrina, PMC's KidMotion College Instructor, for sharing her knowledge and experience in the contribution of the information in this blog.