Never been to nursery, straight to preschool

[MiaSparrow]

I'm very excited for 3yo DD, who'll be starting preschool five afternoons per week this September. (She'll have a little uniform and everything! ). But we've been very lucky in that she's never needed to go to nursery before - we're both freelance/PT. She's quite the free spirit and totally outgoing so I have no qualms about her making friends, etc, but I do wonder if it'll be a bit of a shock to the system. I guess I can't really imagine her in such a structured environment. Would love to know others' experiences if your DCs have skipped nursery and gone straight to preschool at three. How did they cope? And also, how much of it is play based anyway or would they be following some kind of curriculum?

Thanks! Total newbie school mum here.

[addictedtosugar]

Its totally play based!
Don't get me wrong, they learn loads, but it is very much focused on play and social stuff.
Even reception is biased towards playing and learning about being with others in a classroom environment rather than sitting still at desks having stuff drummed into them.

Judging from the number of SAHM's at DS's school, many starting pre school will not have been in any kind of childcare - and others are cared for by grandparents, so again have only been looked after by family.

She'll be fine, and school will be used to it. Enjoy watching her grow up - its amazing how they change over this year.

[holmessweetholmes]

Surely nursery and pre-school are basically the same thing? Either way, both are entirely play-based.

[Mumof3xox]

Curriculum would be the eyfs which focuses on learning through play

[MiaSparrow]

Thanks all. That's what I was wondering holmes, is there really much difference between a normal nursery and a preschool attached to a primary. I think the fact that she'll be in the same uniform as those starting reception makes it seem more like SCHOOL, IFSWIM!

[insancerre]

Nursery and preschool are the same thing.
They both follow the she play based curriculum that all settings deliver until the end of reception- the early years foundation stage

[holmessweetholmes]

Mia - yup, nothing very structured about nursery/pre-school in my experience. It's basically play all day/morning, then all sit on the carpet for a story!

[MiaSparrow]

Sounds like heaven!

[JennyBlueWren]

I'm a nursery teacher in a primary school and we ask parents beforehand about previous nursery experience as it can be a guide to how they will settle.
Some children find it hard to go from being at home with one adult to being with 4 adults and 39 other children and need more support with that. They might not know how to share toys or an adult's attention or might be scared by the noise/busyness.
If it has just been you/OH looking after her then she might find it hard to separate -be prepared for tears! It might be a good idea for her to go to play alone at a friend's house to get the idea that mum goes away but she does come back again! Would she trust someone else to take her to the toilet?

The preschool should be used to dealing with these common difficulties and help her and you settle in as needed. And don't be upset if she goes off to play without a backwards glance at you and then refuses to leave when you pick her up!