As you help prepare your child for starting preschool or kindergarten another tip is to tuck a “touchy-feely” into your child’s backpack. A touch-feely can be practically anything that somehow reassures your child; it works like a security blanket but has a different shape.
A scarf from mom or a wash cloth sprayed with mom’s perfume or dad’s aftershave will smell familiar and can be comforting. One child I remember had a worn out wallet with a picture of the family inside. Another child had a big button from one of her mother’s sweater tucked in a pocket. Lots of kids like to bring a small stuffie or a piece of an old blanket.
A favourite book at our house is Something From Nothing. A grandfather sews a special blanket for the new baby. The blanket wears out and each time Grandfather remakes it. The little boy gets to wear a vest to school that used to be his blanket. From the vest it becomes a tie, a hanky and
a button. When the button pops off, there’s still something left—a story. A touchy-feely is a story of home and family.
Whatever the touch-feely is, it is not as important as the reassurance of the connection to home and family. A big part of kindergarten readiness is how your child feels and copes with separation from parents and family. Can you find a small ‘touch-feely’ object to tuck in your child’s backpack?