Preschool for parents: Helpful Tips for Parents of Pre-K Children (4-5 years)

The 10 Best Tips for Parents of Preschoolers

• Share

• Email

Every parent wants their child to succeed and thrive in the world. Although there is no magic formula, parents want to feel they have done the best they can.

Here are the 10 best tips for parents of preschoolers, written by an early childhood educator.

How Can I Help My Child Succeed in School?

Success in school starts with laying a solid, balanced foundation from an early age.

There is no easy formula for parenting, but there are simple strategies you can follow that will benefit your children for a lifetime.

10 Tips for Parents of Preschoolers to Help Your Child Succeed In School

Here are 10 tips every parent should follow. These ideas are geared towards raising well-rounded children who are happy, confident, self-motivated and independent.

The more you follow these principles, the better chance your child will have of developing to his full potential and coping well at school.

1. Let Your Children Play

Play is the most underrated form of learning and the most important one.

Your child should be playing every single day.

The amount of learning that happens every time your children are in their natural state – engaging in free play – is massive.

Today’s lifestyle has become chaotic and school-age children have schedules that were unheard of in the past.

You may have them signed up for 3 excellent extra activities a day, but if that means there is no time for free play, you might want to rethink the afternoon routine.

2. Read Every Day

Reading to a child opens her world in so many ways.

I have always said there are two types of parents. Those who read to their children and those who don’t.

Reading, apart from being the perfect time to bond, teaches vocabulary, problem solving, creativity, thinking skills, emotional maturity and so much more.

Just 5 to 10 minutes a day is all you need. It can be the perfect bedtime routine.

Whether you are reading to your 3-year-old or listening to your 8-year-old read to you, make sure to make the most of the time by using questions that encourage thinking.

3. Instil Independence

Independence is the number 1 quality any child needs to succeed in the world.

This may seem obvious, but it can be too easy to do too much for your child. Parents want to help and guide their children and be there for them every step of the way.

Sometimes being there just means watching from a distance.

What are some ways you can instil independence?

• Allow your children and their friends to resolve most of their conflicts amongst themselves.

• Understand that school is their territory. Drop them off and give them a confident goodbye kiss and “have a nice day”. There is no need to walk your Grade 1 in day after day to make sure they’re ok. It sends a subtle message that they are not safe without you.

• Encourage doing some homework independently and packing their own bag every day.

• Give chores from a very young age. Let your children develop responsibility at home by making a bed, taking cups to the sink and packing away toys.

• If your child has a problem at school, discuss how to handle it the next time it happens and offer coping strategies. Resist reporting every incident to the teacher or your child will rely on you and not learn to take action. Serious concerns or repeated negative behaviour should be reported if it does not get resolved.

4. Build Grit

Watch this short TED Talk by Angela Lee Duckworth. It is all about her research in determining the best predictor of success.

And it is a little four-letter word called…

Grit!

In her words:

Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future day-in-day-out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality.

I just love it. Please take the time to watch it:

5

. Allow Your Child to Be an Individual

Every person is different and every person has different strengths, weaknesses, interests, passions, etc. Being allowed to be an individual is one of your child’s basic emotional needs.

School is an environment that tends to be quite focused on certain areas – academics, sports, etc. Some are changing and encouraging all forms of expression, including drama, music and the arts, to name a few.

School and the few years every person spends there is not the be-all-and-end-all of life. Let your children engage in the things they show passion for.

You might want to spend 10 extra minutes a day practising sight words with your struggling reader, but don’t forget to let him do his science experiments, or finish building his rocket or whatever else he is drawn to.

These are the things that he will probably gravitate towards in a career one day – and will provide the most value to him.

6. Allow Your Child to Experience Disappointment

The modern-day search for “happiness” has somehow led us to believe that our children’s every experience must be positive and children must never experience any unhappiness or distress.

Children must be allowed to experience their emotions fully, in order to learn how to cope with the many things they will go through.

Setting them up by removing all sources of stress will not help in any future situation where you are not there to manage it.

Happiness, excitement, sadness, frustration, anger, fear, contentment, relief, anticipation… Why would you want to remove any of these experiences? They are all part of life.

Being disappointed is not so serious. Children and adults are frequently disappointed. Not making it to the A team in tennis and feeling disappointed will disappear in time, and probably spur a desire to work harder and try again.

This is much less serious than not having the coping skills to deal with that disappointment and potentially having small disappointments escalate into huge sources of stress.

7. Understand Where Your Children Are Developmentally

I recently looked up some posts on Pinterest about reading and couldn’t believe how many people were interested in posts about teaching your child to read during preschool.

Everyone wants their children to do well and succeed. Pushing them to do things appropriate for older children is not the way to succeed.

For children to read, write and do maths, there is a long list of pre-reading, pre-writing and maths skills they need to master to lay the foundation first.

You probably can teach your 4-year-old to read, but only at the expense of many important foundational skills.

This is usually evident in the class when children who have been pushed too early start showing gaps later on.

Let your children be where they are. You don’t need to prepare your 4-year-old for Grade 1. You need to prepare your 4-year-old to be 4.

Otherwise, they are missing invaluable time that should be spent learning through play and not living life in the moment.

8. Make Your Children Accountable for Their Actions

It starts with a baby pushing a ball. If I tap the ball, it moves. This is called cause and effect.

Later on, it becomes, If I leave a mess on my bedroom floor, I will be expected to clean it up. Or If I hit my brother, there will be a consequence and I will have to apologize.

It’s an important life skill for children to be held accountable for their actions because adults will be held accountable. Adults who are unable to own their actions and always blame others are considered narcissists.

9. Put Things Into Perspective

Are you the parent who is up at 10 pm trying to figure out the last question in your child’s homework? Are you contacting all the class moms at 11 pm because your child will be in so much trouble if they leave out one question?

When you give up, do you write a letter to the teacher, followed by an email, explaining your frustration?

Relax. It’s only Grade 1. And you still have more than 10 years to get through.

Sometimes, school needs to be put into perspective. Sometimes you need to put the homework away when you are suffering through it at 11 pm because you had a family matter to attend to in the afternoon.

There is always tomorrow and you can’t do everything!

Did your child do badly on a spelling test? Life will go on. 

Is your child repeating a grade because they need to mature and they’re a little behind? Trust me, they will forget about it long before the parents do. They will probably mature, make new friends and get on with life.

Sometimes, things just aren’t as serious as they feel in the moment.

You’re parents, not super-humans. Give yourselves a break!

10. Redefine Your Concept of Success

Lastly…

Is your idea of success when your child registers for one of the degrees on your approved list? Do you need them to get 90% in Maths to fulfil your dream for them?

Life is very different to how it was when I was young, or when my parents were young. Blogging was non-existent when I was at school and yet it is my career now. Many of the career options for your children do not even exist yet.

Success is a very fluid concept. As long as you do your best, your children are likely to become functional, competent adults. Then your job is done.

And with enough grit, they will worry about their own success!

Get FREE access to Printable Puzzles, Stories, Activity Packs and more!

Sign up and you’ll receive a downloadable set of printable puzzles, games and short stories, as well as the Learning Through Play Activity Pack which includes an entire year of activities for 3 to 6-year-olds.
Access is free forever.

Signing up for a free Grow account is fast and easy and will allow you to bookmark articles to read later, on this website as well as many websites worldwide that use Grow.

• Share

• Email

Preschoolers: Tips for Supporting Learning at Home

During the coronavirus crisis, parents whose children usually attend preschools are now managing the enrichment and education of their young children at home. We know most parents can’t replicate a full day of preschool, along with all their other responsibilities. But here are some guidelines and principles to help you nurture your 3-5-year-old student at home in whatever time you have available.

Learning and development goals for children 3-5

The preschool years lay the foundations for the school-based learning to come. Goals during this time period include:

• Fine motor skills — cutting safely with scissors, pencil grasp, coloring, letter/number formation
• Self-regulation — listening attentively for longer periods of time, sitting still for longer periods of time
• Emotion regulation — healthy separation, self-soothing, frustration tolerance
• Social development — empathy, turn-taking, sharing, conflict resolution
• Early academic skills — letter identification, letter-sound associations, number identification, counting, basic concepts (shapes, colors, textures), conventions of print
• Activities of daily living/independence — putting on and taking off jacket, managing personal belongings
• Creativity and imaginary play — using an object in novel ways, sharing imagination
• Self-confidence as a learner

How 3-5-year-olds learn

Learning during this period takes place almost effortlessly as children interact with responsive caregivers, explore the environment around them, and play. The human brain was built to learn, and children at this age are strengthening neural connections as they use them.

The experiences and activities that you provide your child literally build their brain and increase their learning efficiency and capacity. Present your preschool student with a language-rich environment, a variety of sensory-rich stimulation, and allow them hands-on opportunities to explore basic concepts (such as shape, color and texture) and the environment.

What’s the parent’s role?

While preschoolers are capable of independent play for brief periods of time, parents will need to organize their child’s day, set up structured tasks, help with transitions between activities, and provide scaffolding and encouragement.

• Create structure. Just like adults, children need predictability in their days. Moreover, consistency and routine help children to develop and learn. Through repetitive routines (for example, bath time) children learn about sequencing (what comes first, next, last), build vocabulary and concept knowledge (for instance, wet, slippery, faucet, drain), and develop autonomy (getting their own towel or cleaning up bath toys on their own).
• Check in with teachers. If your child’s preschool teacher is available, it might be helpful to schedule some time to check in and discuss suggestions for specific activities. If your student receives additional services, try to touch base with providers to see if they can suggest ways you can help continue with treatment and maintain gains at home.
• Talk to your child. Nearly any activity that a preschooler is engaged in provides an opportunity to talk, introducing new vocabulary as well as shapes, colors, size, and numbers. “Serve-and-return” interactions, or the back-and-forth, reciprocal verbal and non-verbal exchange that takes place between a child and their caregiver, also facilitate attachment and a sense of self.
• Present projects. Projects, which can include coloring, building, sorting or sensory play (such as a water table or sand play) are great opportunities for your child to experience your undivided attention, which helps reinforce the sense that they matter. Commenting, reflecting upon and complimenting your child’s work gives them a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem, and praising your child’s effort helps with the development of grit.
• Prompt unstructured play. Independent play is very important for fostering creativity, problem-solving and autonomy. Offer your preschool student a variety of art materials (crayons, markers, chalk, finger paints), building materials (blocks, Magna-Tiles, Legos) or imaginary play props and allow them to construct their own craft or play. If they run out of ideas or materials, offer a new material and see if they can shift on their own to a new way of playing.

How to structure the day

While it is not necessary (or realistic) during this COVID-19 crisis to create a strict, regimented schedule, having a general “outline” for the day will help alleviate stress for you and help your child feel secure. Some pointers for making a schedule:

• Wake up at the same time, change from pajamas into “real clothes” (whatever that may mean for you) and eat breakfast at the normal time.
• Alternate different types of play throughout the day.
• Incorporate regular breaks into the schedule, which should include opportunities for exercise and free play.
• Have dinner together as a family and use that time as an opportunity to discuss the day and problem-solve together.

Types of play that support learning in children 3-5

When considering how to fill your child’s day, it is helpful to consider the different types of play that help to support different areas of their development:

• Constructive Play: blocks, Magna-Tiles, Legos, fort-building, coloring and crafts
• Physical Play: running, skipping, hide and seek, Simon Says, freeze dance
• Pretend Play: dress-up, dolls, kitchen, action figures, modified “charades” (for example, have your child act like an animal and you guess what they are)
• Sensory Play: sand table, water play, finger painting, play dough, baking bread
• Music Play: listening to music and nursery rhymes, playing musical instruments, singing
• Outdoor Play: nature walk, picking flowers, “I spy” outside
• Story time: read aloud and quiet time with books

Screen time

Under normal circumstances we recommend limiting screen time (the American Academy of Pediatrics and World Health Organization suggest no more than one hour for children ages 2-5, ideally co-viewed with a caregiver). During the COVID-19 crisis, screen time can be incorporated into a balanced activity diet and should be used strategically, such as when you need your child to have less of your attention (such as when you’re preparing dinner, working or helping a sibling with schoolwork). For a guide to online, accessible and free resources, check out the Child Mind Institute’s Family Resources for Remote Learning, which includes educational programming, suggestions for movement breaks, museum tours, story times and more.

How to build independence in preschoolers

During the preschool years, children begin to truly develop their sense of independence. This is immensely important for building confidence and a sense of self. Ways you can nurture budding independence while you are at home in the COVID-19 crisis include:

• Structure the day. Just like adults, when children can anticipate their day, they are better equipped to take on responsibilities.
• Start small. Before going outside, for example, your child may put on their own hat and get their shoes from the closet.
• Let your child choose. Involve them in choices, like what to wear. This does not have to mean they have free rein. Provide 2-3 options, and then praise their great ability to make a choice!
• Let your child help. Children love to help! When you allow your child to help, even if it takes you longer to get things done, you foster their confidence and give them an opportunity to learn something new.
• Let your child solve problems. Allow your children to try things that are hard and to solve (small) problems on their own. Wait until they ask for help or assist only in getting them to the next step in a task. You can acknowledge that something is hard and let them know that you are proud by offering praise for trying something on their own, or for the first time.
• Give your child chores. Simple tasks like picking up toys or putting laundry in the basket allow your child to have reasonable responsibility, and those tasks also help with maintaining routine and structure throughout the day.

Kindergarten: note to parents

• Tags:
• Expert advice
• 1-3 years
• 3-7 years
• kindergartens

About a hundred years ago, kindergartens were completely different. Actually, like the meaning of their existence. Then the leaders of “preschool institutions” had only one task – to help Soviet working women work fruitfully for the good of the country. Well, the children … And what about the children? In special institutions they will be fed, watered and put to bed. They don’t need anything else!

…Time has passed, people, manners, outlook on life have changed. Today, sending the baby to kindergarten, most parents expect that their offspring will not just be “looked after until the evening.” It is assumed that in a children’s institution the child will receive excellent socialization skills, develop his creative abilities, go in for sports, master basic knowledge of writing and counting, and even more – begin to learn a foreign language.

And by the way, all this is not fantasy – modern institutions of the 21st century provide all these opportunities. It’s just important to use them wisely. What does this mean? First, the responsible approach of parents to the educational process of their child outside the home. After all, the biggest mistake of moms and dads is the attitude to the children’s institution according to the old principle: “passed and forgot.” Alas, this principle has not worked for a long time. Today, in order for a child to grow up as a full-fledged, harmonious personality, close contact between the kindergarten and the baby’s family is important. Only in this union can truly high results be achieved.

What should parents do to make the 8 hours their offspring spends in the garden make the most of it? We addressed this question to the heads of Moscow kindergartens. And here are the answers we received.

1. Get interested

Zharikova Natalya Vladimirovna, Head of Kindergarten No. 525 in Moscow:

“Kindergarten and family are partners in the difficult task of raising a child. This means that the relationship between them must be a partner based on mutual assistance, benevolent criticism, understanding.Parents must be aware that it is not enough to bring the child to kindergarten in the morning and take it back in the evening – you need to be aware of the educational process that takes place while they are working at work.Moreover, it is not at all difficult to do this – be interested in all available information in a timely manner. It can be obtained not only directly from the lips of the staff, but also from other sources. For example, in our kindergarten there is a special “parents’ corner” where news and announcements are constantly updated. In addition, there is electronic site It is important to just look there from time to time, not considering that all these innovations are “for show”. Not at all, they are for the full and harmonious development of the younger generation. 0015

2. Take part other contacts of family members of the child and members of the teaching staff. Did you manage to establish good relationships? Everything will definitely work out! No? In this case, problems cannot be avoided. A logical question arises: how can we learn to hear each other and build good, kind relationships? The easiest way to do this is through negotiations, questions and answers, live, full-fledged communication, not limited by strict time frames.In the preschool institution, which I manage, it was for this purpose that the so-called meetings of the “Parents Academy” were created.There, moms and dads can calmly talk with educators, psychologists and the head about everything that they are interested in expressing their wishes.By the way, such events are held in many kindergartens. The main thing is to always find time and visit them along with holidays, matinees, quizzes. This is very important for our common cause!”