Wednesday 28 July 2021

How to help your Reception child start school

‘Top Tips’ to help you prepare for the important milestone of the Reception year.

  • Sing songs and nursery rhymes. Share lots of stories. Starting school books, such as ‘Come to school too, Blue Kangaroo!’ are a great idea in the weeks before school begins. 
  • Find opportunities for counting and recognising numbers. Count the stairs when you go up and down. Talk about the numbers that you can see on the doors in your street. 
  • Encourage your child to take an interest in the world around them. Plant seeds in your garden. Talk about the birds and flowers that you see whilst out for a walk.
  • Spend plenty of time engaging in conversations. Listen to your child, ask questions and answer theirs.  
  • Play games together. These may be turn taking games, such as ‘Snap!’ Children also love role play. Set up a shop using tins and packets of food. Play Doctors and Nurses. Dolls or teddies make the perfect patients!   
  • Help your child to develop their fine motor skills by drawing, chalking or threading beads onto a string.
  • Talk about letters and the sounds that letters make. For example Mmmm for Mummy.  
  • Help your child to practise recognising their name. If they are ready, practise writing their name using lower case letters not capital letters. For example Oscar not OSCAR.
  • Encourage your child to be independent. This will help them to feel happy and confident at school. Help them to learn to dress and undress, and put their own shoes and socks on. This will make it much easier for them when it is time to change for P.E lessons. Help your child to learn to use the toilet independently.  
  • Create excitement by choosing new school shoes together and trying on their new school uniform. Remember to tell your child how smart they look.
  • Name everything! Then your child will be able to easily identify their belongings. 

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