How to Prepare Your Child for Pre-K

Build a school-day routine in the weeks before

Pre-K starts early and stays structured. Two or three weeks before the start date, ease into a school-day routine: consistent wake-up time, breakfast at the table, lights out at a reasonable hour. Children adjust faster when the rhythm isn't new on day one.

Practice the core self-help skills

Using the bathroom independently, including hand-washing
Opening lunch containers and milk cartons
Putting on shoes, jackets, and zipping a backpack
Asking a grown-up for help when needed
Cleaning up after a snack or activity

These small skills matter more than knowing the alphabet on day one. Teachers can teach letters. They can't teach 18 kids to tie their shoes during the same five-minute window.

Practice listening and following directions

Play games that require focused listening: "Simon Says," scavenger hunts with multi-step instructions, cooking together. Pre-K teachers need children who can follow two- and three-step directions in a group.

Read together every day

Daily reading is the single highest-impact thing you can do before Pre-K starts. It builds vocabulary, attention span, comfort with books, and a love of language. Twenty minutes a day. Any books.

Spanish books at home work just as well as English ones — language is language to a developing brain. Georgia's Pre-K Program supports dual-language learners.

Talk about school positively

Talk about Pre-K as something fun coming up — meeting new friends, having a teacher who reads stories, playing on the playground. If your child is nervous, acknowledge it ("It's normal to feel new about new things") and stay calm and confident yourself. Children pick up on parent anxiety.

If possible, visit the school in advance. Walk through the building, see the classroom, meet the teacher. Familiarity helps.

Plan the first morning

Lay out clothes, shoes, and the backpack the night before
Get up 15 minutes earlier than you think you need
Eat breakfast at home (don't rely on the school breakfast for day one)
Leave time for a brief goodbye — long lingering goodbyes make it harder
Tell your child exactly who will pick them up and at what time

Most children adjust to Pre-K within two weeks. Some take longer. Both are normal.

About Georgia Pre-K

Georgia's Pre-K Program is a free, state-funded year of Pre-K for 4-year-olds, administered by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Marietta Academy is an approved Georgia Pre-K site — eligible families pay nothing for the instructional day.

Learn about our Georgia Pre-K program →

Visit Marietta Academy

Ready to See It For Yourself?

Reading helps. Visiting helps more. Free 30-minute tours Monday – Friday at 444 Pat Mell Rd W, Marietta GA 30060.

Schedule a Tour → Call (770) 435-3443