Now that August has come around, its time to start talking about school readiness! Soon, September will be upon us, and many of our little ones who have graduated will start school for the first time. So how do we prepare them for this?
First of all, we need to know what it means to be “school ready”. For most children, being ready for school looks like:
being able to separate from parents
able to care for themselves and their possessions independently
developmental areas fulfilled
strong social skills (empathy, holding conversations, cooperative play etc.)
following rules and listening to instructions
There is a lot more complexity to school readiness, but those are some of the most basic skills expected of a child starting school. If most of these are fulfilled, a child will adapt easier to a school environment.
Of course, if your child has attended nursery with us, our staff will have done their best to ensure your child is prepared for the next stage of their life. Nursery also prepares children for a school environment, as our pre-school room is structured more similarly to a classroom, giving children that in-between step that helps ease the transition.
At home, you can prepare your child for starting school by doing a few things:
talk to your child about starting school
practice the school run with your children
read books about school
ask your child if they have any worries or questions you can help with
play pretend games involving school
try on the new uniform so it is more familiar
Whilst you can do everything to prepare your child for school, the first day will still be daunting for both of you. However, once that first day is over, you can settle into your new routine! Finding this routine will help give your child stability during the transition, and help them adjust to their new environment.
Starting school is an exciting time, and we wish all parents and children the very best in their next steps. Please remember to stay in touch, we love to hear how our little ones are doing after they leave Angels.
