We hope up until now, you have been enjoying your Summer Holidays with your child and have completely, or almost completely, forgotten that September is looming. About now, the fear/excitement/nerves kick in and you start to think about going ‘back to school’, whether that be starting big school, another year group or for some starting Nursery School.
Many parents have been in touch with us asking for tips of how best to prepare their child for starting back at school or starting school altogether so we wanted to put together some of our key ideas to support you.
Embrace mistakes & Self-Confidence
Encourage your child to start their new adventure with a Growth Mindset. As Carol Dweck states “In a growth mindset challenges are exciting, rather than threatening. So, rather than thinking ‘Oh no, I am going to reveal my weaknesses’, you say, ‘Wow, here’s a chance to grow’. We have always aimed to create a classroom (from EYFS through to KS2) where children don’t feel scared to make a mistake. We call them ‘marvellous mistakes’ so that children can embrace their mistakes and learn from them in the future. This not only builds their resilience but also their self-confidence significantly. You see children suddenly trying their very best at everything as they have lost (or never gained!) the fear of doing something wrong; with this comes an increased work ethic and incredible progress. So, before your child starts their next adventure in September, ensure that they don’t feel scared to give something a go because without mistakes we would never learn and develop. And remember always praise their efforts rather than the outcome. If they find something hard then tackle it together and praise their efforts (e.g. I am so proud of how hard you are trying). They will soon realise that even if something doesn’t come easily it is still an achievement, still fun and they will always be learning along the way!
Recommended books to promote a Growth Mindset:
Activity book: Find your Power or Stretch your confidence- Build confidence and empathy with inclusivity expert Beth Cox, Power Thoughts founder Natalie Costa and Blue Peter Book Award winner Vicky Barker. Order here.
Big Life Journal for Kids - Order here.
Beautiful Oops by Barney Salzburg
Your Fantastic Elastic Brain, stretch it, shape it by Joann Deak
The Most Magnificent Thingby Ashley Spires
Ish by Peter Reynolds
Play dates:
Play Dates are always a good way to develop children’s social skills and confidence before September arrives. If they are entering a new School or Nursery then try to set up a play date with a few of the children who will be in their class. If they are starting a new year group then try setting up a play date with a child that they haven’t spent much time with before. This will develop their confidence and make them feel more prepared for day 1 of the Autumn Term.
Independence:
Encouraging independence and having high expectations (whatever the age) will significantly help your child in preparation for September. Remember to model everything so that you scaffold the learning and set your (realistic!) expectations. Here are some of our top tips:
Dressing independently: this can be age appropriate but even children starting at Nursery can be encouraged to do aspects independently e.g. put their own coat on or pull a jumper over their head. Remember the coat trick – lie the coat on the floor with the label facing your child’s toes. Encourage them to put their arms into the arm holes and then flick the coat over their head.
Encourage them to feel grown up: “Now that you are a big boy/girl can you help me to…”
Setting the table – give them a role e.g. can you put 1 fork by each plate. You can then incorporate age appropriate maths into this, from simple counting to multiplication (if there are 6 people coming to supper and each of them has 2 pieces of cutlery, how many pieces of cutlery are there altogether?)
Eating at the table together and encouraging eye contact/conversation and of course, allowing them to eat independently. Early Years teachers, will support children at mealtimes too but the more independent they can be the better.
Tidy their room, clear away toys, make their bed etc.
Wash their hands independently before and after mealtime (model how to do this correctly with soap).
Show them their uniform (if they have one) and talk to them about how they could be in charge of setting it out each night before bedtime.
Include your child in the preparation for school e.g. labelling items, buying stationary etc.
Encourage your child to hand over the money at the counter when buying items in preparation for school. This will encourage confidence and communication skills. You can also include age appropriate mathematical concepts too e.g. handling money or receiving change/mental maths.
Remember to give children warning before asking them to tidy up e.g. ‘you have 5 more minutes and then we are going to do X’; this gives them time to adapt from one situation to another. You can always use a sand timer if this helps. If your child is engrossed in making something and has spent time doing this, put their creation to one side or on a table to show it off and so that they can come back to it later. If this isn’t possible then take a photo of their creation so that they can look back at it. This gives children a feeling of pride and satisfaction.
At school/nursery, for all ages, children will be expected to follow a routine throughout the day so preparing them for this in advance will be a huge support for them in September. Give yourself additional time frames when you are asking your child to do something; this will avoid frustrations and try to remember that sometimes you will have to forget perfection!
Talk:
For some children, the biggest fear they can face is the unknown and the change of routine when September comes around again. They just get settled with their teacher, classmates and routine and then suddenly it all changes. For this reason, open communication and talk is fundamental for children of all ages. Be excited for them but also allow them to share any worries or ask any questions. You could ask them: What are you most excited about? Is there anything you are worried about? Give them an opportunity to share their feelings.
Talk about your child’s new teacher and the expectations in that year group. “Being able to choose my own lunch in the dining room!”, often came back as the most common answer when we asked our Year 2 students what they were most excited about for Year 3. Who would have thought that would be the highlight! Embrace change and discuss it as a family.
For children starting at Nursery or Big School, it is crucial to speak about their new setting. Use their teachers name, walk past their new school/nursery and tell them about some of the things they will be doing. Familiarity is key.
Reading stories
Reading to children develops endless learning opportunities and provides quality time with you and your child. Reading is a huge focus of Nursery/School so support your child by reading regularly with them. Discuss the story, the characters, the author, the illustrations, predict, imagine and most importantly have fun! Silly character voices are the best! As Einstein said “Logic will get you from A to B, Imagination will take you everywhere!” – so read with your child and let the adventures begin!
Name recognising/writing:
Often parents panic that when starting at ‘big school’ their child will be expected to write their name. Please do not worry! This is not an expectation and your child will be guided to write their name when in Reception. Obviously, for some children they may be able to do this already in which case you can keep practising this before school. Make it fun – write it in shaving foam, create it with gems or write it with chalks on concrete but do not make it a chore. For those children, who are not yet writing their name (this is perfectly fine!!) then you can begin to support them to recognise their name. Look at the shapes of the letters (especially the capital letter at the start) and together create it using a variety of mediums (paint, shaving foam, with magnetic letters, foam letters, chalk, water etc.). Supporting children to recognise their name will help their confidence when they start at big school when they see their name on pegs, tables, bags, on their clothes etc. Create a name poster together so that they can put it up on their bedroom door to reinforce the recognition.
Fine Motor Skills:
Whether your child is in Early Years (Nursery or Reception), KS1 or KS2, developing fine motor skills will have lots of benefits and for older children will make the process of writing a much more enjoyable one. These activities can be anything that gets the little muscles in your hands working: weaving, cutting, rolling, threading, lacing, sewing, stirring, spooning, tracing, beading, balancing…the list goes on!
Finally, try to relax and trust the process of change. Your child's teacher/school will guide you through the new journey of a new classroom/school/nursery so enjoy the rest of your holidays and we hope this blog post gives you some ideas/guidance. Don’t be a stranger, feel free to contact us directly for more personalised support.
Below are some simple picture books which we have found helpful before when supporting children starting school or a new year group.
Some books to read to children in preparation for September
1. First Day at Bug School by Sam Lloyd
2. Kindness Rules by Eunice Moyle & Sabrina Moyle
3. Have you filled your Bucket Today (one of our all time favourites!) by Carol McCloud
4. Starting School by Janet Ahlberg
5. Twit Twoo School: Mouse’s Big Day by Lydia Monks
6. A Friend for Henry by Jenn Bailey
7. All the Ways to be Smart by Davina Bell
8. Too many carrots by Katy Hudson
9. Swapsies by Fiona Roberton
10. Happy to be me by Emma Dodd