As was mentioned in a comment left by Marie, there is nothing really as unfortunate, as awkward or as painful as a bad goodbye. The way I see it, all organisms with protective parents have an instinct that tells them "Stay with Mom and Dad!! It's your only hope!" It's a good and powerful instinct and it can cause some major trouble when nursery starts.
So how do you get your nursery kids through the door and away from the ones they love as much as life itself?
As I said before, I do it with music and dance and the chance to pick a laminated picture off the wall. I've found the music and dancing is involved enough to attract attention away from Mom or Dad and on to me the nursery leader. I think it's also a lot of fun for the kids. It's a chance to really move and jump up and down after an hour of being pretty still. Going in front of everyone to pick a song is so EXCITING. As an added BONUS, singing can often drown out the sound of crying. It sad that that matters but it really does.
That's how I start but I would love to hear what others do. Here's a few more ideas I've heard:
Kids get to pick their laminated name off the door and bring it inside to be hung up
Play with Playdough
Puzzles
Snack
And as always, the Almighty Bubbles
Anybody have any other ideas? I can promise they will be MUCH appreciated.
