Pandemic or not, you need to prepare your child for school starting. Whether they have been to nursery or a childcare setting before or not, they will be going into the school environment soon enough and you need to do all that you can to get them ready for it. Of course, being in the middle of a pandemic, you may find that there will be changes to the usual school intake. No matter what, though, you have to work with your child for the next few months to get them used to the idea that they will be starting school and spending a few hours a day away from you.
The transition to school is going to look very different this year, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t work with your child and ensure that they are feeling secure and prepared for the big changes they’re going to go through. There may not be school visits and stay and play sessions, they may not have a visit from their new teacher – it’s all going to look different. You’ve been working with your child for the past couple of years to ensure that they know how to recognize their name and you’ve explored easy ways to teach a child to read, but there is more that you can do to ensure that your child is ready for school. So, no matter what moving to a big school is like for a little one, you need to make it as exciting as possible. Let’s explore how you can do that from a guest writer!
Getting Your Child Ready For School
Teaching Getting Dressed.
Before your little one heads to school, it will help to practice with them getting shoes and socks on, getting on and off their coat and dressing into their PE kit independently, too. It’s very much an effort thing and when you put it in with your little one, they can feel confident changing into PE kits and removing socks and shoes for gymnastics. You may also find that your child’s school has a dressing up section in the corner of the classroom, and you can practice with your dress-up clothes! They won’t be perfect at it by the time school comes around but they may have the hang of the bigger items ready for the school day.
Getting Their Coat On.
There are so many tricks you can teach your little one for getting their coat on and off, and it’s important to impress upon them the importance of getting their hats on and off for play time. Outdoor play in all weathers is a popular way to get children enjoying different methods of exploration and play at school. So, getting their coat on and fastening it up will be a task that they can learn to complete before they get there. Add in putting on rain boots, and they will be equipped for starting school.
Putting On Shoes.
Children don’t need to learn how to do up shoelaces, but they do need to know how to slip on their shoes and fasten velcro straps. It’s a lesson in independence and it’s going to ensure that they can manage by themselves when they need to swap shoes over from school shoes to rain boots and back again.
Using Utensils.
Whether your child is eating hot dinners at school or you are giving them a lunch box of goodies, it will help your child to understand how to eat with good table manners. It will hopefully be a part of your evening meal routine at home anyway but it’s vital that you at least teach your child to eat with a spoon for yoghurt, wet foods like Jelly and veggies, too. Their school uniform is likely to get messy enough without not understanding how to use a knife and fork. It’s always worth making sure that your child’s teacher doesn’t need to teach them how to do it.
To Manage After Number 2!
Children struggle to learn to wipe after they go to the toilet. They often need some help and guidance to ensure that they can wipe themselves after they use the bathroom. Going for a number 2 at school is usual, so use the balloon game to teach your children how to wipe! Teachers won’t be wiping your child’s butt, and they need to know how to wipe and then wash their hands once they do it. Teach them they will be sore if they don’t learn how to do it themselves, and you don’t want to get underpants filled with…wipeables.