How to prepare kids for preschool

Preparing your toddler for preschool is not difficult if you know how to do it. You are your child's first teacher. As a father, mother, or other family member, you begin teaching your newborn about language as you welcome him into the world with smiles and caring words. By responding to your child's coos, babbles, early words, and simple sentences, you encourage him to learn.

By reading to your child, you encourage him to read and write. Thus by the time your child is old enough for preschool, he knows a lot about language because of all the time your family has spent listening, talking, reading and writing with him.

Below are 10 tips provided by smarterkids.com to help you teach your child.

- Talk with and listen to your child as you play and do daily activities together.

- Read with your child at a regular time every day and whenever he asks you.

- Take toddlers and preschoolers to the library. Let them choose books to read at home.

- Create a special place in your home where your child can read and write.

- Keep books and other reading materials where your child can reach them. Add a new book at least every month.

- Keep writing materials such as washable, nontoxic crayons and markers, paints and brushes, and different kinds of paper where your child can reach them.

- Take books and writing materials with you whenever you go out, so your child can read or write at the doctor's office, on the bus and in the car.

- Show your child how you read and write every day to have fun and to get things done.

- Point out printed words in your home and in the community to your child.

- Encourage your child to do things for himself. Let him feed and dress himself, and clean up after himself even if these tasks take more time and are not done perfectly. -- JP