Ask Your Child's Preschool Teacher How Transitions Between Activities Take Place
Parents of preschool-aged children will often have a number of questions to ask the preschool teachers in the child's first few days of attending. One topic that you might not immediately think about evaluating is how transitions between activities take place. In a given day, your child and his or her classmates will perform a wide range of activities, which means that there will be a transition between each of them. The best preschool teachers have specific plans for how these transitions occur, so you want to hear that these things are present.
Fun
You want to know that your child is having fun as he or she transitions between activities at preschool. Teachers can ensure that these transitions are fun in a number of ways, which is important for teaching children that transitions don't have to be unpleasant. For example, when the children transition from playing to a quiet reading time, the teacher might lead them in a song that revolves around cleaning up. Given that many children love singing at this age, a song that is part of the transition process can help to make what might otherwise be an unexciting time into a fun one.
Timed
It's also ideal if the preschool teacher times the class's transitions from activity to activity in one way or another. Children can be slow with certain tasks, but some type of timing element can make the experience go smoothly. For example, the teacher might count to 20 with the goal of having the transition complete by the time he or she is finished counting. This teaches the children to be quick with whatever they're doing, whether it's cleaning up after one activity or moving from one part of the classroom to another. Through this approach, you may even begin to notice that your child is quicker when transitioning between activities around the house.
Supervised
It's important for a preschool class's transitions to be supervised. As a parent, you'll feel more confident in the preschool if you're certain that the teacher closely monitors any transitional activity. For example, instead of telling the group to get dressed to go outside and then tend to desk work, the teacher will be present to watch the children and help them when needed. Supervision is an integral part of any transition between activities for a preschool, given that some children at this age require a helping hand or some friendly encouragement.
Contact a school, like Leaps and Bounds, for more help.