3 Tips for Making Daycare Pick-Up Go Smoother

If your child struggles to with the end of the day pick-up transition, here are three things that you can do to make the transition a little easier on your child.

Be Consistent With Pick-Up Times

Most daycares run a very consistent schedule that they try their best to stick to throughout the day. Get your child's daycare schedule and figure out a good time period for picking your child up. For example, if snack time is from 4:00 p.m. to 4:20 p.m. and recess is from 4:20 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., you may want to try to pick your child up before snack time or at the end of recess. Picking your child up in the middle of an activity that they want to participate in can make pick-up time a struggle instead of a happy occasion.

If you know that your child really enjoys a particular activity, try to pick them up before that activity starts or after it warps up so that you don't have to fight your child about going home.

Grab All of Your Child's Belonging Firsts

Oftentimes, children just need a warning before they engage in a transition. Try greeting your child, saying hello, and then let your child know that you are going to get their stuff before you leave.

This makes it easier because you can grab your child's backpack or lunch and pack up any papers or items that need to go home without worrying about watching your child at at the same time. This also provides your child with a built-in warning so that they know that they have a few minutes left to engage in whatever activity they are doing before they have to leave.

Talk About What You'll Be Doing After

When transitioning, knowing what is coming next can make the transition easier. For example, when you pick up your child you say, "Hi! We're going to go get in the car and go home and see Mommy." Stating what you are doing or who you are going to see, such as your child's other parent, siblings or family, can help ease the transition and can give your child something to look forward to.

If your child is struggling with the end of day transition when you pick them up from daycare, try to pick a consistent time to pick your child up, give your child a few minutes to wind down and disengage from whatever they were doing, and let your child know what comes next. Doing these three things should help ease the strain of the end of the day transition. For more advice, talk to an educator like International School of MN.