The Next Big Step for Preschoolers

National PTA's Building Successful Partnerships: A Guide for Developing Parent and Family Involvement Program offers parents of preschoolers the following suggestions to prepare for the next big step in their children's lives: elementary school.

• Talk with your child's pediatrician and preschool teacher about the normal process of speech and language development, and how to identify indicators of potential problems.
  
  
• Understand children's needs to become independent. For example, help them to dress themselves, brush their teeth and wash their hands and faces.
  
  
• Provide activities that are important to developing age-appropriate skills.
  
  
• Build children's elf-esteem and confidence through experiences that allow for responsibility and success.
  
  
• Read to your child every day.
  
  
• Understand the importance of play in learning and development.
  
  

National PTA and the National Head Start Association wrote a guide, Continuity for Success, which explains how to bridge the gap between preschool and elementary school. Call (800) 687-5044 to order a copy.