Help. DD has a visit to her 'big' school tomorrow.

[kindlekid]

I didn't tell her yet as she is so negative about starting school that I didn't want to give her time to worry about it.

It's just for an hour to meet her new teacher and classmates.

She was in school for an enrollment day a couple of months ago and it was a disaster.

It was chaotic and noisy and it really upset her. I have spoken to the teacher and she said tomorrow will be a lot calmer but with 30 in the class I doubt it will be!

Any advice on how to deal with it?

I am going to do my best to be upbeat and positive about it but also to be sypathetic to her worries.

TBH I think you should have tackled it before now.... even if she was negative about the whole thing she at least would have been able to prepare for it... My DD 3.6yrs has her visit tomorrow too but unlike yours has been craving to go for months (she has an older brother and wants to be the same). My friends DD (same age, going to same school) has been very negative about it all and it has taken a couple of months for my friend to get to a stage where she knows its an inevitable event.... she isn't happy about going but is going along with it, I think once she has been 2-3 days and her mummy comes every day to get her she'll settle down.

Firstly you need to discuss WHAT exactly is her fear about going... my friends DD was scared her mummy wasn't going to come back for her... so she has spent ages going through the school scenario so her DD understands she will come back.... Please don't think I am having a go, I am re-reading my words and I look like I am telling you off for not mentioning it.

I just think you need to tackle the problem head on, hiding from it won't make it disappear.

Also, I was a reception teaching assistant before DD was born and on these kind of days half the normal class would be taken to do an activity (perhaps in the hall) and the rest left behind to play/interact with the new children.... normally the quieter more well behaved :) So I am sure it will be alot quieter than when you took her to enroll, also they don't normally have the whole class visit together its usually 4-5 children at a time so its not so overwhelming :)

Is there an older child in the family or a cartoon character (Peppa Pig?) that she likes that goes to school who you can big up tell her how clever and grown up she is going to school and perhaps promise her a treat afterwards for being so clever.

I read on another thread on here one DC was getting upset leaving her mummmy so the mummy took some chocolate buttons to school in the mornings and kissed one or two then the DC ate them and the mummy said those kisses would stay in her tummy until hometime so she knew her mummy was with her at school.... I thought that a really nice idea.

Sorry so long hope it all goes well x

Loads of time left to tackle going to school, love the beyond idea to help her get through tomorrow.

I'd suggest getting some books about school as there are loads out there, I only know this because nursery have been preparing the kids for the transition and this is one of the things they rate as being most helpful. I'm sure your local library will have some.

Also, doing role play at home, like playing games (to imitate peppa) is a good one, there are also peppa school house toys if you can get your hands on those? (freecycle maybe?)

she went be the only one not liking forward to going either, school must set out all the time and of the staff don't offer any 'tools' tomorrow then its definitely worth communicating with the school now to see what they suggest?

Hope tomorrow works out ok.

Crikey, loads of typos...

Love the above ideas
she won't be the only one not looking
school must see it
if the school
now