Preparing your child for primary school

With the summer holidays fast approaching, those of you with little ones leaving nursery ready for primary school in September may be starting to feel anxious on their behalf. At Kids Planet we’re helping our pre-schoolers feel safe and happy about the move to big school.

Here are just a few of the activities we do in some of our nurseries as well as some ideas and tips for helping your child in the holiday leading up to the big day:

• PE SESSIONS- helping children to practise getting dressed and undressed.
• READING SCHEME – providing access to level one and two phonics book such as the Oxford Reading Tree books. Practicing writing their own name every morning.
• MEET THE TEACHERS – reception teachers visit the children in their familiar nursery setting before meeting them again in their new school classrooms.
• PHOTO BOOKS – some nurseries take photos of the school classrooms and playground and create a photo book for the children to look at in the reading corner.
• PARENTS EVENING – an opportunity for children to meet other parents going to the same school, which helps any adult nerves and anxieties about the whole process!
• SCHOOL ROLE PLAY – an area where children can try on school uniforms, practice serving school lunches and choosing their reading books.
• PACK LUNCH DAYS – children can bring in a packed lunch from home to familiarise themselves with what they are likely to eat and how it is organised.
• VISIT SCHOOL – often visits are arranged where our preschool teachers accompany children in time for a school dinner or to sit in on a school assembly.

Tips for the summer holiday:

• MEET WITH OTHER PARENTS AND CHILDREN

Arrange parent-to-parent meet-ups and play dates before the school term starts – a six week holiday is a very long time for a child, and it’s great to familiarise your child with their soon-to-be new friends so when school starts not everyone is a brand new face – you can ask for class lists through the school office although many schools provide these in the summer term. It’s also an important thing for parents to do as it can encourage a support network among parents.

• TIME TO TRY OUT SOME NEW FOODS

Many schools advertise the weekly menus on their website, so it can be good to look ahead and start getting them used to the sorts of meals they might be served.

• TALK AND BE POSITIVE (EVEN IF YOU’RE FEELING NERVOUS!)

Talk to your child about their new school and wherever possible, involve them in buying their new uniform, water bottle and lunch boxes– make it exciting, and they will look forward to using them and showing to their friends when they start their new school. Be positive about starting school even if you’re not feeling it yourself! It’s a great idea to talk to them about their friends and about new friends they are going to make. Importantly, reinforce the idea about how much fun they will have and all the new things they are going to play, experience and learn.

Most importantly, get the camera ready! Starting school can be both an exciting and daunting time for everyone, but that first school photo will be one to remember for a very long time!

Good luck! 

If you are looking to find a nursery then why not use our simple tool to locate the nearest Kids Planet Day Nursery to your postcode?

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