Getting nervous about nursery school

jillybean800 · June 2013

Even though we have the entire summer to prepare, I am still nervous about how Alexander will act in a nursery school setting. Not only does he have to be potty trained, I imagine he will have to sit quietly in a circle, follow directions, and clean up....all of which he is not so keen to do at least when it comes to me.

He has never been in a daycare setting, so he is not used to big groups of kids. We do take music class and we used to go to gym class too, because I did want him to interact with kids. He is mostly good, but of course has the typical toddler moments of not sharing or tantrum throwing. He's not the easiest toddler on earth, although he is very sweet and affectionate.

Anyway, assuage my fears! Give me tips! What can I do before September to help him? I'm just worried they are going to straight up throw his out of there, as he poops his pants, runs around screaming and takes every toy away from the children (worst case scenario, of course Wink )

chickaboo1974 · June 2013

Well since my two are in similar situations- I am not all that worried. They have to learn sometime right?

But my Nicholas gets speech therapy- and wow a totally different kid with the therapist. He sits, he pays attention, he picks up, transitions between activites- he is a good student.... with me ehh I don't get all of those on a good day.

So it is a learnign experience for all of us.

enjoylife · June 2013

It will be ok Jilly!! I can't speak to the potty training aspect but I'm sure most of the teachers know that being potty trained in a 23 year old class is relatively new concept for their students and will give lots of opportunities to go the bathroom and lots of positive reinforcement afterwards too.
Kids will always act differently with others than their parents too. I had to do quite a bit of cajoling to get A to clean up his toys or go to different activity without a tantrum. When he was in DC they said he had no problems with transitions or sharing toys. After a week or two of DC A all of a sudden became a master clean up boy, it was a bit bizarre. he loves to watch and mimic other kids his age so sitting and participating in circle time or cleaning up etc he did well. But if I tried to do circle time activities at home with him and J that doesn't work at all.
For this summer I think the continued kid exposure will do well of you still do music or tumbling classes or library reading hour. Even regular play dates are good too :I'm sure he will do great once he adjusts to going to school.

lrn327 · June 2013

Don't worry Jilly!! I know, easier said than done, but I think most kids are pretty different at DC than at home. C's okay but not wonderful about cleaning up, following directions, waiting semi-patiently at home. At DC though, he sits nicely for circle time, listens quietly to stories, transitions easily, cleans up toys and from lunch/snacks on his own without prompting, washes his hands independently without prompting, etc. Seriously, it's pretty great but also different than home. There's a LOT to be said for peer pressure, both good and bad! Unfortunately he's also picked up stomping on bugs and doing something he calls "spack" which is whacking random things along the way and yelling "spack!!!". I guess I'll take it though. Wink

bosha711 · June 2013

My tip would be to just know that it's normal for him to take time to acclimate to the new setting & routine. It might be rough at first, but it will get better. The teachers are there to help him transition & he will learn quickly by watching what the other kids do.

I worried thinking about DS having to listen to directions, sit quietly, feed himself, etc. The director reminded me that the main priority is for the classroom to be a fun place that the kids want to come to each day. The whole day isn't just the teacher making the kids do this & do that like I envisioned, lol. They encourage learning through play.

jarebearsmom · June 2013

Just remember, when he is in dc he will see all the other kids sitting down, cleaning up, etc. He will adapt and follow along. And kids are completely different at dc than at home. Just try to start working on picking up toys and it should all fall into place

TMNTgirl · June 2013

I think it's a totally normal feeling.

Jonny has only been cared for by family when I work so far. We do have a play group once a week where he gets interaction with other kids - but it's obviously not structured at all. Since he has a late birthday he won't start any sort of preschool program until Fall 2014 - but I still worry about it sometimes, lol!

Good luck! And know that as with any new thing there is a transition period, but hopefully it will pass quicker than you think and it will seem like he's always been in preschool!

Strunella · June 2013

We're pretty much in the same boat. DS will be starting pre-school in September and we've always had a nanny. So he is not used to a structured environment or following directions from other adults. And frankly, he's not that great following directions from DH or me either! LOL!

We've done the classes too, so he gets plenty of social interaction. But he's not really one to sit still for a prolonged period of time, so I'm not sure how that's going to work out in pre-school. He also throws things! Ugh. Hopefully, he'll listen to his teachers and follow the (good) example of the other kids.

We don't have the added pressure of PTing as it's not a requirement at the school, but I plan to make an attempt before September. I'm sure we'll have tome good stories to share come the first month of school!

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