Velcro Goes a Long Way

As a parent, you are faced with many decisions throughout your day, some of which are hugely significant and others are not at all. In a minute, I'm going to offer a suggestion that while you might not have considered very important at all, might mean a great deal to your child's teacher. This post is geared towards parents of preschool-aged children. I have experienced concerns with this small issue myself and have also heard other preschool teachers gripe about it as well. And that small issue is: footwear.

The shoes your child is wearing to school is probably more important to your child's teacher than you would have ever thought.

First off, is the footwear that your child dons today appropriate for running and physical activity? We all love to wear flip flops and sandals in the summer and I don't doubt that your little princess begged you for those new Mary-Janes last week, but one thing that you can never forget is that more than anything else in this world, your child and most children LOVE to run around. Are the shoes you/he/she picked out the morning going to adapt to this type of aggressive exercise and calisthenics? If not, consider a quick change before heading out the door.

Secondly, does your child know how to tie his/her own shoes? If you are not 100% certain that your child can perform this task on his/her very own, then please consider finding slip on and/or velcro type sneakers for your child to wear to school. One of the most difficult and time consuming tasks for a teacher in a preschool/daycare setting where a nap/quiet time is included is getting all of the shoes on and off all of the children. If your child can't do it by 100% by themselves, it is going to make the rest of the schedule move more slowly and potentially frustate the teacher. Remember, one of the goals of school is to help children develop independence and self-reliance. Even in preschool.

In conclusion, save the fancy shoes, the tie ups, and the sandals for the weekends and send your child to school in P.E. friendly, velcro footwear. Oh, while I've never had a complaint myself, some teachers might even prefer you leave the Crocs at home too, as some people have experienced excessive tripping on waxy/polished floors while wearing these shoes.

Trust me, your child's teacher will thank you.