For some little ones, it can be a little daunting and scary going into a new place for the first time, meeting new people, having a new daily routine and environment you are not used to. So, when your child arrives at nursery, although it is exciting, the whole experience can sometimes be overwhelming. 
 
We’ve had a few questions recently about how best to mentally prepare a child for the socialisation aspect of starting nursery. 
 
We would like to stress that we don’t expect every child to always be happy or full of confidence in social situations at nursery. Why? Because naturally not every child is like this. It’s not in their nature, which is perfectly normal and part of what makes them unique. 
 
Here are our top tips that we give parents before they arrive to make this transitional part of nursery a little bit easier. 
The biggest piece of advice we can give to parents is to make sure your child is used to social situations aside from the external family. While these moments are cherished and important, it is also great to be able to show your child how to interact with other people who are outside of the family unit. As building and developing relationships, is what they will be doing not just at nursery but for the rest of their lives.  
 
The more exposure you can give your little one to a variety of social situations at a young age, the better. We often find that children transition into nursery a lot smoother and become much more settled and comfortable in comparison to those who perhaps have not had that exposure. 
 
There are many ways for you and your child to socialise with other like-minded individuals who are outside of the family unit: 
 
- Sensory classes 
- Library 
- Anti-natal groups 
- NCT (make reference to more local places int the area for SEO purposes) 
 
Here at Wellies, we encourage your child to play and interact with all children to help them improve their socialisation skills. This can come from sharing toys with others, doing activities together, getting involved in discussions with the staff, giving each other compliments, so that they can develop meaningful relationships and understand the world and others around them. 
 
All these little things can make a big impact and difference to the persona of your child in and out of nursery. Transitioning into nursery, little ones can sometimes feel nervous however, we always find that with the right encouragement and support, they start to flourish when it comes to socialisation. 
 
If you have any questions about transitioning your child into nursery or would like additional support, feel free to pop us a call on 01234 391600. 
 
Please click on the "Social Stages Of Play" image to view full size. 
 
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