Here I Come, World!

Is 2021 going to be the year your little one takes a big step forward: out of the house and into a play school? Then read on…

Some time after turning 2, the toddler inside your baby begins to reveal itself. This means a major milestone could be approaching, and you’re sure to be having discussions with your partner and friends about whether the time for play school is ripe.

All signs point to 2½ being a good age to start. At that age, children can use short sentences, understand simple requests and instructions, begin to enjoy playing with – rather than just beside – other children and, as Marina Petropulos writes in the Baby and Childcare Handbook, being with Mom is ”no longer a primary concern”.

But do all these things add up to being ready?

Not always, and you won’t have to look far to find a parent for whom the attempt at school was stormy.

“At 2, I thought we’d give school a try,” reflects Tania Jones. Sam was pottytrained, quite sociable around other children, and he could speak well and concentrate. ”I was a bit concerned about how close he and I were. I had never left him with people he didn’t know, and even though he’d met the teacher and her assistant and played in the class, he didn’t really know them yet.

“I expected tears the first few days. Day one was fine, but day two and three were horrible. But it wasn’t that that made me realise he wasn’t ready. What made me change my mind was that he suddenly would not let me out of this sight, and bedtime turned back into a nightmare after a few months of being better.

“I took him out of the school and made the decision to keep him home a while longer. I believed he would give me a sign when he was ready for school.