Eventually, following these “house rules” will become second nature to your child. No bedtime stories until all kids are in jammies. When we come in from outside, we wash our hands. Decide on a few routines and stick to them: Everyone gets dressed before breakfast. “The children follow essentially the same routine day after day, so they quickly learn what they are supposed to be doing, and after a while barely need reminding.” While it would be impractical to have the same level of structure at home, the more consistent you are, the more cooperative your child is likely to be, suggests Cohen-Dorfman. Kids cooperate in school because they know what’s expected of them, says Beth Cohen-Dorfman, educational coordinator at Chicago’s Concordia Avondale Campus preschool. “The kids always want to do it for themselves.” And if it’s not quite up to your standards, resist the temptation to redo what they’ve done.
“Whenever I’m trying to get kids to dress, put jackets on, sit on chairs during meals and so on, I’ll ask them: ‘Do you want me to help you or can you do it yourself?’ Those words are like magic,” promises Jones. Quick hint: Appeal to her sense of pride, suggests Donna Jones, a preschool teacher at Southern Oregon University’s Schneider Children’s Center in Ashland, Oregon. “But then they’ll walk out of the classroom and the thumb goes in the mouth and they climb into strollers.” Raise the bar and your child will probably stretch to meet it.Įven though it might be faster for you to do all of your child’s tasks, that won’t help make your child more self-sufficient. “At school we expect the kids to pour their own water at snack, to throw away their plates, to hang up their jackets - and they do,” says Jennifer Zebooker, a teacher at the 92nd Street Y Nursery School, in New York City. Most people have a way of living up (or down) to expectations - preschoolers included. They asked five preschool teachers (with a combined 90 years of experience!) for some tips for parents of 2 – 5 year olds. Does your child behave better at preschool than they do at home? This week, our tip is adapted from Parents Magazine.