Welcome to the third lesson which focuses on the transition from the toddler stage to the preschool stage!
Transition to Preschool Age
Now that your child is no longer a toddler, they are entering a new stage of life that can be tricky and intimidating to navigate. Our hope is that this lesson will bring you comfort as we share some tips and tricks to help you navigate through various events that will start happening in your child’s life such as their development, potty training, as well as entering Preschool.
We would also love to hear from you in the comments about things that you learned as well as other helpful insights you have for other parents also going through this transition!
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Development Changes & Suggestions for Parents
There is a lot that a parent needs to know regarding their child who has now entered the Preschool age. Below we have shared what the book “Teaching, No Greater Call” has said about the development that occurs in both three and four year-olds as well as some things that parents can do for their children during that time.
Here is the link to the full manual TEACHING, NO GREATER CALL
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Potty Training
Knowing when to start potty training your child can be a tough decision to make! The Mayo Clinic shares that “potty training success hinges on physical, developmental and behavioral milestones, not age. Many children show signs of being ready for potty training between ages 18 and 24 months. However, others might not be ready until they're 3 years old. There's no rush. If you start too early, it might take longer to train your child” (2021). Ultimately it is up to you, but here are seven signs that might help you to know if your child is ready to be potty trained.
Your child shows an interest in learning to use the potty and wanting to be more independent. For example, he might show interest by asking questions if he sees a family member going to the bathroom.
Your child can understand and verbalize words about using the potty. For example, he might say “my diaper is dirty” or “I need to go pee pee.” He might even tell you he needs to go potty even if his diaper is already dirty or wet.
Your child can make the connection between having the urge to pee or poop and going to use the potty.
Your child can follow simple instructions and likes to copy your behavior, including bathroom habits.
Your child can keep his diaper dry for at least two hours.
Your child can get on the potty, stay on the potty long enough to pee or poop, and get off the potty.
Your child can pull down his own diapers, training pants, or underwear.
This website gives 23 helpful tips for potty training for both boys and girls!
This video is another great resource when learning about and helping to potty train your little one!
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Pre-School
As parents, there are a lot of things that we can and should be doing to help these children to be more fully prepared to start preschool with their friends and peers. This short video shares 3 specific things that parents can do now to help prepare their children to enter preschool!
Zero to Three shares four ways to have fun with preschool prep including the following: “using pretend play to explore the idea of preschool, reading books about preschool, making a game out of practicing self-help skills, and playing at your new preschool.” These ideas will help to make the transition to preschool a little bit easier for both you and your child! To read more in depth about each of these ways, visit Preschool Prep: How to Prepare Your Toddler for Preschool • ZERO TO THREE .
What to Look for in a Preschool Program
Not sure where to have your child attend preschool? This article gives some guidelines on what parents should look for when choosing a preschool program: https://edsource.org/2013/tools-for-parents-what-to-look-for-in-a-preschool-program/39262
Preschool Separation Anxiety
Some children struggle with separation anxiety, especially if preschool is their first time really being away from their parents. Here are some tips from verywellfamily.com on how to help your child manage preschool separation anxiety:
Visit school before the first day
Give the teacher a heads up
Seek out a friend in advance
Plan to bring a transitional object
Practice being apart
Establish a goodbye routine
Stay upbeat
Don’t be late for pickup
For details on each tip, visit: https://www.verywellfamily.com/managing-preschool-separation-anxiety-2764909
What will your child learn in preschool?
This video gives a brief overview about what your child will be learning.
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Activity
Care.com has shared 101 different activities that you can do with your preschooler to help in their development at home! If you have a child that is in preschool or is preparing for it, spend 10-15 minutes doing one or more of these activities! Then please share in the comments what you did and how you felt it went! Here are just a few of the suggestions but feel free to visit https://www.care.com/c/101-fun-things-to-do-with-preschoolers/ for more ideas!
Craft a story together.
Bag leaves together.
Create a marble painting.
Bake together.
Fold towels.
Make an obstacle course.
Play a rhyming game.
Build a house of cups.
Go on a walking tour of your city.
Play dress-up.
Make a path of pillows to use as stepping stones.
Write a book.
Make a snow dollhouse.
Play I Spy with colors.
Draw pictures in chalk on the sidewalk.
Make a popsicle-stick craft.
Play Simon Says with the whole family.
Turn a large box into a playhouse.
Play Red Light, Green Light.
Complete a connect-the-dots picture.
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Next Week’s Lesson
We hope you enjoyed this week’s content! Next week’s lesson will be focusing on parents with preschool age children transitioning to elementary school age. If you, or someone you know is going through this transition, or will be going through this transition soon, please feel free to invite them to join in these lessons!
References
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (1999). In Teaching, no greater call: A resource guide for gospel teaching (pp. 110–111). essay.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2021, December 11). Potty training: How to get the job done. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/potty-training/art-20045230#:~:text=Many%20children%20show%20signs%20of,longer%20to%20train%20your%20child.
Mongeau, Lillian (2013). Tools for parents: what to look for in a preschool program. Edsource. https://edsource.org/2013/tools-for-parents-what-to-look-for-in-a-preschool-program/39262
Perles, K. (2021, September 25). 101 fun things to do with preschoolers. Care.com Resources. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.care.com/c/101-fun-things-to-do-with-preschoolers/
Rock, Amanda (2021). Managing preschool separation anxiety. Verywellfamily. https://www.verywellfamily.com/managing-preschool-separation-anxiety-2764909
Valovičová, L., Trníková, J., Sollárová, E., & Katrušín, B. (2020). Stimulation and development of intellectual abilities in preschool-age children. Education Sciences, 10(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10020043
When to start potty training: 7 readiness signs. Pampers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.pampers.com/en-us/toddler/potty-training/article/when-to-start-potty-training-signs-your-child-is-ready
I love these ideas! Something I've definitely learned about this age is how busy they are. They need activities that are stimulating that keep their brains engaged and their bodies active. If they're doing this, I've noticed that it also helps improve their behavior. I actually read through some of these lists with my 4 year old, and she was pretty excited about doing some of them. We decided that we're going to create an outdoor obstacle course as a fun activity, so she's excited about that. I just know how important each stage is, and while our kids need to learn how to do things on their own, it's also important for us, as parents, to try to provide activities and opportunities to help them learn and grow in ways that they need. Thanks so much for sharing all of these!
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