2024: Getting Ready for Preschool: Parent Guide, Tips and Supplies

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Getting ready for preschool is mandatory for parents! Sending your toddler to preschool for the first time can be an exciting major milestone but may bring emotions and uncertainties. You, as parents, must ensure their little learners’ transition is smooth and supportive. This parent guide aims to provide parents of three-year-olds with essential tips, skills, and supplies needed to prepare their little ones for preschool. By following these guidelines, you can help foster a positive learning experience for your child during this crucial stage of their development.

We understand the significance of early childhood education in shaping your toddler’s future. It’s a big change from the comfort of home to a structured preschool environment that can be an overwhelming experience for both children and parents. While preparing for preschool, please should consider several essential tips, skills, and supplies to ease this transition and pave the way for a successful preschool journey.

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Getting Ready For Preschool

Knowing the specific skills that your young children should have before starting the school year is important. While each child’s development is unique, some general skills can help them adjust better to the preschool environment. Additionally, important social and emotional skills such as sharing, taking turns, and expressing emotions appropriately are necessary for positive interactions with peers and teachers. It is crucial to promote communication and language development by reading to your child, having conversations with them, and helping them expand their vocabulary.

Here are some areas that parents can focus on when getting ready for preschool:

Communication and Social Skills: 

Encourage your child to engage in conversations, take turns, share, and cooperate with others in new situations. Organize playdates, participate in group activities, and read books together to foster their social and communication skills.

Independence: 

Encourage your child to perform simple tasks independently, such as picking up toys, washing hands, or putting on shoes. Practicing self-help skills at home will help them adapt to the preschool routine and build confidence.

Basic Academic Skills: 

Introduce basic concepts like shapes, colors, letters, and numbers through play and interactive activities. Incorporate educational toys, games, and puzzles to help develop cognitive abilities.

Preparing for the Preschool Environment:

Preschoolers spend significant time exploring their environment and making sense of the world around them. By providing a developmentally appropriate predictable routine at home, parents create an environment where their children can continue their learning journey beyond the walls of the school. Consider the following tips when getting ready for preschool:

Visit the Preschool: 

Schedule a visit with your little one beforehand, allowing them to explore the facilities and meet the preschool teacher and other children. This is a great way for them to get familiar with the surroundings and maybe meet new friends. This will reduce anxiety and make their first day more enjoyable.

Establish a Predictable Routine: 

Implementing a consistent daily routine at home that mimics the preschool schedule will help your child adjust more effortlessly. This includes waking up, going to bed simultaneously, and incorporating structured activities throughout the day. Start this as soon as possible at home!

Visual Schedule

Promote Separation Independence: 

Gradually expose your child to separation by leaving them with trusted caregivers for short periods. This practice helps develop their confidence and reduces separation anxiety during the first day of preschool.

Essential Preschool Supplies: At School 

Parents should contact the child’s teacher or school for a supply list when getting ready for preschool. Consider purchasing a few essentials to facilitate their toddler’s involvement in preschool activities. A sturdy backpack or bag will be needed to carry their lunch, water bottle, and any special items the preschool requests. It is advisable to label all belongings with your child’s name to prevent mix-ups. Stocking up on basic art supplies such as crayons, washable markers, glue sticks, child-safe scissors, and construction paper will also be a good idea to have developmentally appropriate supplies at home. Having lots of books at home and from the local library enhances literacy skills and nurtures a love for reading.

Name Stamp

Here are some essentials you may consider:

Backpack: 

Invest in a child-sized backpack with comfortable straps for your toddler to carry their belongings independently. The inside of this backpack MUST be large enough to fit 8 1/2 by 11 pieces of paper. Those small backpacks are super cute but not practical for school needs.

Boys Backpack

Lego Backpack

Girls Backpack

Water Bottle: 

Opt for spill-proof water bottles and easy-to-open lunchboxes, promoting independence during snack and mealtime. Consider bacterial contamination when selecting a bottle. Straws are notorious troublemakers. Look for tops that are removable into washable and bleachable pieces. These pieces should be bleached or run through a sanitizing cycle in the dishwasher after each use.

Camelbak water bottle with straw

Nuby water bottle without straw

Change of Clothes: 

Pack a spare set of clothes in your child’s backpack in case of spills, accidents, or messy activities. Your preschooler should easily put these items on and take them off INDEPENDENTLY. Avoid zippers, buttons, snaps, or any clothing that restricts or is difficult for the child. Your child will be practicing these skills during school in other ways, and please practice them at home, too. It is difficult for teachers to aid many students who cannot get dresses, jumpers, snap and zipper pants.

Shoes:

Shoes should promote independence. At three years old, most preschoolers cannot toe their shoes. Do not send tied shoes; opt for a slip-on or hook and loop. Parents should be working with tying shoes at home. I see many children who are ten years old and still cannot tie their shoes. Many preschools will ask for shoes to be kept at school. During the winter, boots will be needed as well. Don’t forget snow pants, mittens, and a hooded coat! Here in Illinois, DCFS requires children to go outside for at least one hour daily. Of course, this is weather permitting, and the temperatures vary between programs, but between 30 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit is a good rule of thumb.

Blanket and Small Pillow for Nap Time:

Your child will need a blanket covering them from chin to toe, but not too big that it won’t fit onto the cot. Many preschools will also allow a small pillow. Check with the school; some require parents to bring cot sheets. Here’s a link to a cot sheet, blanket, and pillow, combo. We loved these in the childcare center! But the elastic on the corners are a must! Nap mats without the elastic tyes will not be good because there is no way to attach them to the cot. The mat moves all over the place. Other choices are a separate cot sheet, blanket and a small pillow. Check with your preschool. They may allow crib sheets instead of cot sheets. There is also a neet padded cot sheet that’s soft and cozy.

Cot Sheets

Urban Kids Nap Mat

Wildkin Blanket

My Dreamy Pillow

Comfort Item: 

Consider allowing your child to bring a comfort item, such as a small toy, to provide reassurance during a transitional period. Typically, preschools do not allow toys to be brought into the room due to health hazards. If brought, this item will be kept with the child’s belongings and only used when necessary. If your child is very attached to an item, starting the weaning process ASAP may be a good idea. Check with your preschool.

Essential Preschool Supplies: At Home: 

Having developmentally appropriate supplies at home greatly enhances preschool children’s learning at school. These supplies foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills and provide opportunities for shared learning experiences between parents and children. It is perfect if the same supplies are at school and home, and the child can become familiar with them before starting preschool. New skills will be coming fast, and learning in a group setting and at home is the best way for preschoolers to learn.  Teaching goes fast at school. Try to set aside time at home to review and practice skills being taught at school.

These supplies act as tools for imaginative play and problem-solving, allowing children to practice and apply the skills acquired in the classroom. Building structures with blocks, for instance, develops their spatial reasoning and problem-solving abilities. Similarly, engaging with puzzles helps them enhance their critical thinking skills. 

Engaging in activities with these supplies helps children build their knowledge, self-expression, and love for learning. This teaching method is known as Whole-Child Teaching and educates the child in all areas of knowledge. Toys from each of the eight-play areas listed below should always be available for your child. Consider setting up space for each play area in your child’s room—for example, book area, block area, music area, etc. Arts & Crafts supplies should be kept under supervision; maybe these could go onto a low kitchen shelf.

As responsible parents, let us recognize the importance of nurturing our children’s development at home and within the confines of preschool, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary tools and resources to thrive academically and beyond.

To learn more about how and why these supplies are needed look into: Three-year-old Development, and Three-Year-Old Toys & Activities

Arts and Crafts Play Supplies

Play dough: In our program, we only use white playdough and introduce colors when the children are around four years old. We also use air-dry playdough, which comes in primary colors. These colors can be easily mixed to create additional colors, like green or purple.

Crayola washable markers: the only truly washable markers I have found

Crayola washable crayons: the only truly washable crayon I have found. These large-sized ones fit preschool hands better than the thin ones.

Crayola washable paint: the only truly washable paint I have found.

Paintbrushes: These have a fat handle, which is easier for preschoolers to hold. The ledge toward the bristles can keep paint from getting onto fingers.

Scissors: Choose a pair that has a blunt end.

Scholastic gluesticks: This brand stays soft and glides along paper better than other brands I have used.

Masking tape:

Clear tape:

Educational Play Supplies:

Posters for the wall: shapes, numbers, and the alphabet: These are best placed on the bedroom walls at the child’s eye level.   

There should be many books at home or from your local library. This list is taken from the NAEYC reference article:

• The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
• David Goes to School by David Shannon
• Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen
• First Day of School by Anne Rockwell
• When I Miss You by Cornelia Maude Spelman
• Take a Kiss to School by Angela McAllister
• It’s Time for Preschool by Esme Raj Codell  
• A Pocketful of Kisses by Audrey Penn
• Amazon’s Best Book Recommendations for Preschool

Educational Toys: There are too many learning products to list here. They should cover colors, shapes, picture/object names, animals, letters, sounds, numbers, counting, and matching. Stick with well-known brands such as Melissa and Doug, Hape, Lego, or Lovevery. An excellent example is the LeapFrog Book.

LeapFrog Prep For Preschool Activity Book

Building Play Supplies: 

Wooden Blocks

Building Sets

Music Play Supplies: 

Musical center with instruments: Explore instruments with pleasant sounds. Loud, irritating noises are tough for parents and other siblings in the house.

Pretend Play Supplies:

Puppets

Stuffed Animals

Dolls

Play Kitchen

Dress Up

Transportation Vehicles

Exploratory Play Supplies:

​Manipulative Sets

Game Play Supplies:

​Puzzles

Games

Active Play Supplies:

Sports

Playground Equipment

Conclusion:

Preparing your toddler for the start of preschool is an important step in their educational journey. By focusing on developing essential skills, familiarizing them with the preschool environment, and ensuring the availability of necessary supplies, parents can help their big kid make a successful transition into preschool education. With your support and guidance, your child will embark on this new chapter with confidence, curiosity, and a thirst for learning. Remember, every child is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. Stay flexible, communicate with your child’s teachers, and, most importantly, provide love and support throughout this remarkable journey.

References:

Three-year-old Development & Activities 

Three-Year-Old Toys & Activities

NAEYC’s 13 Tips for Starting Preschool

Toy Safety Guidance for Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers

Developmentally Appropriate Toys: What and Why are they Important?

Whole child Education: What is the Approach to Teaching?

Consumer Product and Safety Commission 

I value your input and comments tremendously! Please let me know if there is anything else I should include in this blog post! Until my next post, Keep Everything Simple. Talk with you soon!