James starts preschool on Wednesday. He’ll be attending the same school Annabel went to when she was his age, which is nice because we already know the system, know what to expect for the year, etc. Mike and I went to the orientation meeting last week and we were happy to see that not much has changed (including the teachers!), so we can prep James accordingly.
At the beginning of the summer, I was very nervous about James going to preschool. His language skills were a little behind, I didn’t think I’d be able to potty train him, and he was very clingy. Luckily, over the last ten weeks he’s had a huge language explosion (he’s still going to have a speech screening, though) and he was potty trained in a snap. The clinginess is still a bit of an issue, though, so I thought it would be a good idea to take him to the school to see his classroom and meet his teachers.
I got him all dressed and hyped to meet the teachers two days ago. “We’re going to meet your teachers at your school, it’s going to be so great!” He was really, really excited.
And then we got there and I realized I must have confused some things, because the teachers were not there.
Whoops.
So, attempt #2 was yesterday. He was still hyped:
When we got there, he was hesitant for about 5 seconds..until the teachers showed him some toys.
As he played for a little while, we all chatted. I told them a bit about my James, and occasionally he would pipe in with additional information (especially when I told them about how much he loves music). After he played a bit, I walked him around the room, showing him the different play stations, like the train table, play kitchen, and where the puzzles and play doh are kept. He was especially enamored with the tiny, preschooler-sized toilets. When we made it back to the front of the room, the teachers took over. They engaged him, turned his attention to other things in the room, and were as great as I remembered.
When it was time to go, he gave both teachers a high-five. As we left, he was upset.
“Wanna go back! Wanna play with toys!”
The fact that he didn’t want to leave was, I think, a good sign. Hopefully next week he’ll remember how much he liked it there, and he’ll get so caught up in playing with toys and meeting other kids that he won’t care when I leave…that will happen, right?
Tracey says:
It’s the wings Mom, you are giving him his tiny toddler wings. He will do fine
lauren says:
he will do great, glad he liked it! Just one thing and it seems obvious but actually who knows what kids really get, make sure you explain that you are leaving and he is staying. Again seems like it is obvious, but you would be surprised…
Megan says:
I love how James is wearing a plaid shirt with grayish shorts one day, and the next day it’s plaid shorts with a gray shirt.
I know a lot of people with kids in the 3-5 age range, and they’ve mentioned their boys have a speech delay around that age…my observation is that little boys generally seem to develop a little slower than girls, but OTOH have super sweet, fun personalities while some little girls…don’t It sounds like James has great teachers, so I think he’ll do super in preschool!
Johanna says:
Megan, I had the exact same thought about his outfits. Too cute!
Lindsay C says:
I working in childcare for a long time. Every kid is different with goodbyes! The good news is: given time, patience, and sweet teachers, every kid I ever knew adjusted to separation. In my opinion (and no judgement if that’s easier), the key is to not sneak away. Rather, give him lots of love and kisses and tell him you’ll be back to get him. Building trust and a routine is absolutely important.
amourningmom says:
good luck at preschool James! And, yes I hope the drop off is cling and tear free!!
Anna says:
The lip and jumping photos are my favorites!
Shell says:
All kids develop in different ways. My former in-laws* expressed concern that my son wasn’t big on talking, he was the physical action kid. His grandfather once commented on it in my son’s presence and my kid, all 22 months of him, said, “I just don’t have anything to say!” and then went back to terrorizing their cat. I couldn’t stop laughing… At least my FIL had the grace to look appropriately chagrined.
*They were pushy to the point of suggesting that my son might have a hearing problem.