Attending daycare seems like a common phase of a child’s growing years and everyone appears to have gone through it. After all the grueling process of choosing the best daycare for your child, you may expect that your child will gradually settle into the routine of attending preschool while you can put your mind at ease as you go about your everyday life, and that your child will always be ready and happy waiting for you in school during pick-up. However, the last thing you might imagine would be your child showing refusal to leave daycare. You might feel frustrated and helpless when this happens. It is important for you to understand why your child might behave this way and here are some suggestions on what you can do to improve the process of daycare pick-ups.
Some Signs You May Look Out For
Different children have different ways of acting out, it is important to observe their behavior during pick-ups before you decide on the best solution to work on with your child. Most of these signs suddenly only show when parents arrive. Some ways of these ways include:
- Having a meltdown
- Hitting other kids
- Being moody
- Throwing things
- Becoming more active than usual
- A sudden change in behavior or emotions when you appear at daycare
Why is my Child so Emotional during Daycare Pick-Ups?
There could be a variety of reasons why your child may be emotional during daycare pick-ups. After spending an entire day in school, they may be tired. Some of them may have been having so much fun with their friends and teachers that they are reluctant to leave. On the other hand, it could also be a problem in adapting to a sudden change in routine where your child is accustomed to a set of rules in school and a completely different one at home.
What Can You Do to Handle Difficult Daycare Pick-Ups?
Here are some suggestions that could help your child ease into the routine of daycare pick-up when you arrive at the end of the day:
- Give them time and space – you may have come at a time when your child is working on something or in the midst of an engaging playtime with his friends. Giving them their time to complete their tasks or to bid farewell to their teachers and friends.
- Develop a pick-up routine – having a routine that is practiced before leaving daycare will help your child accept the transition of leaving school, some of them may including walking around the school before leaving, or even getting dressed before heading out.
- Talk to your child – asking your child about their choices and addressing needs is important to cater to their emotions, which could reduce the anxiety they experience during daycare pick-up.
- Reminding them about something to look forward to after they leave daycare – serves as a form of distraction what they were doing before you arrived.
- Set aside some parent-child time when you reach home – like reading a book or simply even talking about their day
Daycare pick-ups could be stressful and emotional, but it doesn’t always have to be this way. With the right method, daycare pick-ups could even be great bonding time between you and your child.