Getting Your Child Ready for School

It’s come around so fast, hasn’t it?

School must have felt like a lifetime away when you brought your child into the world. Fast forward 4 years, though, and here you are preparing for them to start school in September.

On the one hand, it might feel like they are too young to start ‘big school’. But, on the other, it’s exciting to see them start a new adventure.

There aren’t really any hard and fast rules in preparing your child for school. However, there are definitely things you can do to support and ease the transition into school life, which is what we’re here to explore.

Let’s take a look.

Talk About Your Child Starting School

It is really important that the concept of school is introduced to your child sooner rather than later.

This will help them to understand that a change is about to happen, which will prompt them to talk or ask questions about what this means.

Visiting your child’s school is an excellent way of helping your child know what to see and expect on their first day.

Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic meant that schools couldn’t accommodate visits, making settling into school much more difficult for our children.

Hopefully, your child’s school can allow visiting again now.

Practice Important Skills

There are going to be several tasks that your child will be expected to be able to do when they start school.

Whilst schools understand that some support may be needed, there is an expectation that these skills have been encouraged in the home environment first.

These include:

• Using good manners (e.g. saying “please” and “thank you”)
• Sitting on a chair at a table to eat their meals
• Using cutlery at mealtimes
• Wash and dry their hands before eating and after using the toilet

Being Able to Socialise with Peers

If your child has previously attended a childcare setting before starting school, they will have experience making relationships with their peers.

Most children will feel apprehensive about starting school, whilst some will find this easier than others.

It’s a great idea to talk to your child about the importance of being kind to other children who may need more encouragement as they step into school life.

During the summer holidays, you might want to think about encouraging your child to interact and socialise with other children more frequently. This may be with friends or even when you are out and about at a park.

Have a Good Routine Established at Home

Hopefully, before your child starts school, they will have a routine at home to aid their transition into school.

If you have not yet established a routine, you must spend time ahead of September to implement this.

Children thrive on routines and need them to develop fully. This includes having a good bedtime routine.

When starting school, children’s days may be slightly longer than they may be used to, and they will have to attend every day.

Therefore, they must get enough sleep to cope with a whole school week and learn new things.

Be Prepared

As a parent of a child starting school, you’ll need to ensure that have everything they need. These things include a school bag, lunchbox, and a uniform.

With that comes the not-so-joyous task of labelling your child’s belongings. Rather than sewing name labels like in the good old days, you can now buy personalised name stampers to make labelling your child’s belongings easier and quicker.

Remember, They Will Settle Eventually

Even the most sensitive and anxious children will eventually settle into their new school environment; it may just take them a little longer.

School, for most children, is a great experience. It is a place where friendships are made, and new experiences are discovered.

We wish you and your child the best of luck with this adventure!