10 “Sales Tips” To Get Your Kids Excited About Preschool EVERY Morning

If you think about it, sales are a big part of parenting.  Especially repeat sales!  Every morning you probably have the same “sales pitch” that makes up the “Bed to Preschool Package Deal”.

Waking up instead of sleeping. A real breakfast instead of cookies. A clean shirt instead of the batman costume.  The list goes on…

But the real moment of truth is when it is actually time to jump in the car and go to daycare or preschool. It’s just you, the idea of preschool, and the idea of home. If your preschooler is going to be a tough customer that morning, that’s the moment when he will do it.

Sometimes you can rely on distractions, sometimes evasive maneuvers (“honey, your turn to take her to daycare!”), but sometimes you just have to be creative, which can be difficult so early in the morning.

We’re here to help.  We’ve come up with a list of preschoolers’ favorite things about preschool.  Choose one or two to remind yours in the morning as “deal sweeteners.”  We’re including 10 so you can mix and match for maximum impact to get your kids excited about preschool EVERY morning!

1. Friends. It’s obvious that preschoolers look forward to playing with their friends at preschool. They also love just observing all the other kids in general: it’s a big part of how they learn. You can ask your preschooler about what their friends did the day before and what the plan is for today.

2. A favorite teacher. Every preschooler has one teacher (or another adult at the preschool, like the cook) of whom they are particularly fond. You can remind your child that she gets to see that person soon.

3. Projects to show off at home. Your preschooler loves displaying (and being praised for) drawings, paintings, collages or other projects they do during the day and bring home to you. Ask him what he will bring home for you today. 

4. Education. That’s what it is all about! And kids love showing off their new knowledge. You can remind her what she learned yesterday and ask her what she will learn today. Songs, stories, the alphabet, numbers….

5. Different toys and materials. Variety is the spice of life, even for youngsters. (Maybe especially for youngsters.) They have a collection of toys and craft materials at home but the collection at school is…. different!  Remind him that he can play different games or draw different pictures at school than at home.

6. Lunch time. The food is also a little different at preschool than at home. Even if you are sending her with a packed lunch, there is always a sense of adventure in opening up the lunch box to see what there is today. (Hint: do actually include a surprise in the lunch box and suggest it is there!)

7. Field trips. Everybody loves a little trip, even older kids and adults! If there is one scheduled, you may not even have to remind your preschooler about it; she may already have been thinking about it all week.

8. Special occasions. Birthdays, holiday parties, costume parties…. you name it, if it is new and different, your preschooler is looking forward to it. You may even have to hold him back from running to the car too soon.

9. “Long term” projects. These projects might be growing things like flowers or grass or building something over the course of a few days. Your preschooler is probably looking forward to continuing with the project from the day before (probably to be able to show you the results).   

10. Space. The preschool has facilities devoted to kids being kids (including a playground). A place to dance, a place to eat, a place to draw, etc. Especially if you live in an apartment, your preschooler probably likes the idea a lot. You can remind him how fun it is to have space to run around especially with his friends.

So those are 10 tips you can fall back on to close the deal on a tough morning and get them excited about preschool. It is, of course, a roundtrip package and your next hurdle may be convincing your preschooler to come home! What other “sales tips” do you use with YOUR preschooler on tough mornings?