February 28, 2023
Preparing your child for starting school
STARTING SCHOOL CAN BE AN ANXIOUS TIME
If your child is starting school in September, you might be thinking about what you can be doing now to prepare them for ‘big school’. Part 1 of our “Starting School” blog “What to Look For in A Primary School?” covered what you should be looking for in a school, so now we take a look at what children should be learning now and what you can be doing to give them the best start.
TALK TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT STARTING SCHOOL
If they are already at pre-school or a nursery then starting ‘big school’ won’t be such a big leap, but talking to your child about their school and what to expect will help to remove the fear of the unknown and help to build excitement.
Be positive. school life should be some of the best days of your life. Therefore, it is important to be positive about school and talk about your positive experiences. Talking about having fun, learning new things and making lots of new friends. This will strengthen your child’s confidence so they feel safe and supported, and your positive attitude towards this change will be picked up by your child.
MEETING THE TEACHER
At Colchester Prep & High School, we believe it is important for your child to want to be here so we always provide them with lots of opportunities to visit the School and meet their new teachers and classmates. Our monthly Play and Learn sessions are a wonderful opportunity to visit the school and to get to know their teacher.
ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENCE
Children will be asked to do many things at school for themselves, encourage your child to dress and undress independently, put on their coats and zip them up, feed themselves using a knife and fork, go to the lavatory independently, wash their hands and tidy away their toys, to help them feel prepared for school routines. It’s also helpful to encourage them to start to solve simple problems, allowing them to make decisions and to seek your help only when they need it.
At Colchester Prep & High School, our approach is to help children become independent learners and critical thinkers, and developing their independence is a good place to start.
SHARE BOOKS ON STARTING SCHOOL
here are lots of books about starting school, making friends and meeting new people, it’s a good idea to read them together to gently prepare them for the fun that awaits. We recommend some good ones, including ‘Harry and the Dinosaurs Go to School’, ‘Boris Starts School’ and ‘Topsy and Tim Start School’, to help your child understand the little things like wearing a uniform, how playtime works that school is really supposed to be rather fun! If your child is keen to learn the alphabet, please teach them the phonic sounds first as this will help them when starting to read at school.