First, parents should understand that their preschool kids should see them as a person of authority. Once this is established, it can be easier to set rules regarding playtime and study time on their preschool children. A person of authority means a person who can discipline someone who needs to be disciplined fairly and firmly. It is important for preschool kids to see this since they are at the age wherein they start to develop autonomy. If parents are lax and their preschool children don’t see anybody who is in authority, they will continue to play during study time since there is no one to follow.
During their preschool age, children need to know why they are being punished. Parents should be able to simply explain that they will merit a punishment if they do not follow the timeline for studying and playing. They should be able to explain to their preschool kids that not following the timeline means not studying when they need to. Also, they should explain to their preschool children the importance of following the timeline and how it is important for their preschool education. The explanation should be easy to understand and parents should be accommodating to the questions that can be raised by their preschool kid.
Lastly, parents should make time-out as the punishment for not sticking with the playtime and study time schedule. Preschool kids tend not to stick with this schedule since all they can think about is playtime. This means that they can be extra emotional when they are told that they should stop playing now and start studying. This is where timeouts can be very helpful since it allows preschool kids to control themselves and regain their thoughts. This way, preschool kids are given the opportunity to see the importance of sticking with the playtime and study time schedule and how it will merit them a punishment if they do so.
Although these tips can greatly help a preschool kid adhere to schedules, nothing beats making sure that study time can also be a lot of fun.
