In my next post about starting school, Kings Monkton’s head of key stage one, Fiona Thomas, gives useful tips about helping your child through any anxiety around starting or returning to school, how to prepare them during the summer, and how to boost their confidence for that all-important first day back.
• Reading stories about starting school and talking to them about school will help them know what to expect. Some great examples are ‘Topsy and Tim Start School’ by Jean Adamson and ‘Starting School’ by Allan Ahlberg.
• Keep reassuring your child that there will be other children there, in the same position as them, so they feel less intimidated. Remind your child that teachers are there to help and that you will pick them up every day after school.
• Use this time to remind them that you were once in their position too. Why not find a photo of when you were at school and talk about your school days and share the experiences. Image may be NSFW.
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• If you know other children who are starting at the same time, arrange to meet up at a park and let the children play together. It can help to see familiar faces on a first day.
• If your child wants to wear their uniform before starting school, let them. It may help it to become more familiar – plus, dressing themselves is excellent practice for PE lessons.
• Show your child how to tell the right shoe from the left and give them chances to put them on and take them off themselves. Velcro shoes are useful for the first few years as these are easier for children to manage.
• Do they know what will happen at lunch times? Make sure your child knows if they are having school lunch or packed lunch. Make sure they know what they are eating (schools give out weekly menus) and that if it’s a packed lunch, make sure they have any implements they need and can open the containers etc. Have picnics in the garden or the park and talk about eating the sandwich and vegetables first, before the treat
• Play games to prepare them for school activities – Simon Says or Follow the leader will get them used to instructions such as ‘take off your shoes’, ‘wash your hands’ and ‘line up’. Play with crayons, pens, paint and pencils – chunky ones are good for little hands.
• It will be useful if they know how to read their own name. Write it to show them what it looks like. Use a capital for the initial letter but then lower case. Image may be NSFW.
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• Teach them their numbers by counting to 10 with them. Play games with numbers by counting stairs, socks from washing, steps to door, cars going past etc. Sing songs like 12345, once I caught a fish alive.
• Talk about school after they have started too. Keep your questions simple. You will get more information if you are specific and ask things like, ‘who did you play with today?’ or ‘what story did you have?’ These tips and tricks should help your child settle and be a wonderful start to their independence. Fiona Thomas is a primary school teacher and head of key stage one at Kings Monkton school in Cardiff.
For more posts in my “Starting School” series just click on the image below: Image may be NSFW.
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