When your preschooler has a fear of school

While it might be a few weeks away, if your toddler has a fear of preschool the thoughts of starting in September can be a nightmare. Whether they are returning to preschool for another year or starting big school this autumn, the last month up to the big day can be extremely difficult for all the family.

If your little one is worried, the following tips will help both of you to feel a lot better.

1. Acknowledge their fear

Make sure you acknowledge their fear and don’t assume it will go away. At the moment, your child is worried about starting something new and it is important you address the situation now, not wait until the night before.

2. Talk it out with pretend play

While you don’t need to talk about it every day, pretend play can be a great way to get things out in the open. Set up a school in your home with the help of your preschooler and try to include as many ‘school activities’ as possible, such as story time or play time.

3. Talk about your own happy memories at school

Try to talk to your preschooler about your own happy memories at school – the friends you played with and the things you learned – so they understand that school has plenty of fun things to do.

4. Try to find out where their fear is coming from

Don’t simply assume that all kids have a fear of school and that they will grow out of it, it can be something deeper. Sit down and try to get your little one to open up about what it is that they are frightened of or don’t like about school. If they are returning, it might be a classmate that they are worried about or if they are starting, it could be that they are nervous about meeting new people.

5. Explore and meet

If they are starting a new school your little one’s fear could be down to not knowing who they will be in class with or what the school will be like. However, even if they are returning to the same preschool, their fear could be based on the fact that one of their friends won’t be there or they are getting a new teacher. To avoid this, explore the school during the holidays and try to organise as many play dates as possible during the summer.