Preschool Children and Teacher Bonding Activities

Despite the shrieking sobs that occurred when you first left your child at preschool, bonding can, and should, occur between your little one and her teachers. But unlike college or even middle school, the bonding activities between students and teachers in preschool is informal and doesn't involve any goofy name games or group problem solving. In fact, many of the ways a preschool teacher and student build a bond is through shared daily experiences.

A preschool teacher who spends a few minutes expressing interest in something your child is doing builds a foundation for trust, bonding and communication, advises Northern Illinois University College of Education. For example, if the teacher sees that your child loves building block castles, she could show your tyke a different set of blocks that allows her to build even more complex constructions. The teacher could also kneel down and compliment your preschooler on the way she built the castle towers or the mote, or show her a picture book about the ways castles were built several centuries ago.

Preschoolers struggle to do a lot of activities by themselves, so receiving help from her teacher builds a bond by establishing that the teacher cares enough about her needs to offer assistance. This doesn't have to mean balancing every single domino or helping your child clear out her entire desk looking for a particular utensil. Rather, it can be something simple like offering a footstool when your child is struggling to reach the soap dispenser or helping her zip up her coat before recess.

Even a few minutes of regular individual instruction between your child and her teacher can be a powerful bonding experience. She could teach your preschooler practical skills, like how to open a bag of pretzels or buckle her shoes. Or, the teacher could instruct her in some academic area, like showing her how to write capital letters. The act of interacting, explaining and responding to your child's individual questions, pace and learning progress builds confidence and trust between your preschooler and her teacher.

No big surprise, there are a lot of sounds, pictures and experiences that can frighten your preschooler. A teacher who lets your child sit on her lap when she's afraid of the older kids dressed as zombies at the Halloween assembly builds a bond by providing security and reassurance when your little one is feeling vulnerable and afraid. When your preschooler gets a nasty splinter, having her teacher speak gentle, calming words while quickly, and hopefully painlessly, removing the splinter also encourages your child to trust and value her teacher, two important ingredients for bonding.