I have a daughter going to Kindergarten in the fall (5 in the fall). My son is going to pre-k (he is 3), and my choice of opening timeslots are 1) two mornings or 2) one afternoon and one morning. My dilemna is 1) He still naps and I would potentially have to wake him for the afternoon slot (but maybe 30 mins early), 2) afternoon slots offers me time with my daughter alone (besides during his naptime and on the weekend if planned). I can't decide if I really will get much out of one afternoon with my daughter and have a potentially tired son? Some have told me mornings are best for small kids, others say it is nice to have an afternoon with the older one...input please!
I want to thank all in advance. I think this network is amazing to receive input from other moms and have appreciated to date the time folks have taken to help me with my decisions.
you should do mornings for him. My son had to do the afternoon session when he was 3 and he was always pretty tired. Sometime he would even go in the back of class and fall asleep!
Definitely two mornings. 3 yo are usually pretty tired in the afternoon.
Two mornings. I think it's important for a child to have a steady routine.
I woudl personally choose the two mornings for several reasons...1. mornings do tend to be better for little ones (which is why, or at least partly why, all day programs do the more structured stuff in the am), 2. it starts getting them (and you) in the morning routine of getting up and out the door to school, 3. two days with same times affords you the chance to have a schedule for him whereas one morning and one afternoon would not, and 4. It gives you set times to run an errand, go to an appointment, etc. without either child.
Yes, having time with the older one is nice but really, it would just be a couple of hours one afternoon so you could probably arrange a sitter to accomplish the same thing.
I would say to decide what your priority is: to make sure your son gets his nap time in (remember, he may not need a nap so much by then) or time alone with your daughter.
Personally, i prefer morning as kids are usually more refreshed and eager to learn then. I use the morning to clean house, run errands and so on.
You could still carve out time alone with your daughter while your son naps, or is on a play date at a friend's, and the same with him when she's busy.
I say stick with the morning slots. It will be easier on you to have them both in school at the same time. Then either work with your husband to create some one on one time with the kids on the weekends, or get some help so that you can spend time with the kids independently during the week.
I would send him in the mornings. This is about him going to school, not alone time with the other child. He shouldn't suffer from missing his nap and not having one schedule so that you can have an afternoon with your daughter. Kids often have a hard time adjusting to the only 2 day a week preschool programs, having it be two different times of day is not enough routine, and he'll likely see one group of kids one day a week and another group one other day, difficult to really form friendships with kids you see only once a week.
I think you should save yourself the trouble and do two mornings. Even though he still naps, I think going in the morning is better...I know I wouldn't want to wake up my 3 y/o and then drop her off directly at school for the afternoon session...yikes for the teacher! Besides, he may be able to move his nap time to a short one in the afternoon when he returns home. He'll have been busy and stimulated all morning and maybe it will tucker him out. I think trying to shuttle around 2 kids on 2 schedules, even if they're at the same place, has the potential to wreak havoc on your sanity! :)
The more you can keep the littler O. n his schedule, the better, I say. I'd go for the two morning slots. You can always do 'alone time' with your daughter on weekends or evenings, right?
i chose morning for my son so he was more alert. i also had time to do errands and stuff around the house without having anyone to fall over. also it was good for shopping for christmas and birthdays without having one or both tagging along
Just for routine sake, stick with the 2 that are the same. Good Luck!
