Getting ready for preschool

Two things make the start easier, and neither is academic. The first is a settling-in period done gradually rather than all at once. The second is a goodbye that is short, warm and honest: saying you are leaving and will come back, then going. Long drawn-out departures make it harder. Practise the parts of the day that will be new, especially eating and sleeping away from home. Expect tiredness, clinginess and some regression in the first weeks. It usually settles within a month.