Back to School or Starting School

Don't worry this isn't an advert for new shoes or pencil cases! Instead here are a few ideas for preparing little ones for going back to school (or starting reception or pre-school) and helping them to feel confident over the coming weeks.

This year is going to be a strange one with children having all experienced different amounts of time at home or in school that felt different. It may be harder to go back after an extended period of home learning or your little one might be absolutely ready to go back to a routine. Some children might be starting reception with new rules in place or having had less time than expected in formal childcare. Whatever your own situation there are plenty of simple things you can do to help your child be as ready as possible.

One of the most reassuring things I've found recently is how committed teachers are and how much time and effort they have put in to get ready for the new term. They will are experts at helping children settle in to their classes and will be very aware of how different life has been recently.

School readiness means that a child has the skills and confidence to learn as part of a class. You can read more about it in the blog below including ideas for things to do at home and a checklist to download.

https://www.twinkl.co.uk/blog/what-is-school-readiness

There is more information and activity ideas from childcare experts here: https://www.pacey.org.uk/working-in-childcare/spotlight-on/being-school-ready/

Some of the key things to think about are:

Good hand washing & hygiene skills - try this helpful song from Thinktank: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLYcRFvyH3E

Following simple instructions - here are some games to try to improve following directions http://www.playingwithwords365.com/five-playful-ways-to-work-on-listening-skills//

Practice uniform & PE kits - have a trial run and make sure there aren't any tricky fastenings that need a practice, you could do a timed changing challenge to make it fun or there are some activity ideas here if you have reluctant dressers https://www.fantasticfunandlearning.com/tips-for-teaching-kids-to-get-dressed.html

Work on fine motor skills to help get ready for things like zipping up coats, turning pages, gripping a pencil & opening packed lunch wrappers. There are lots of nice ideas here: https://picklebums.com/ten-kids-activities-to-practice-fine-motor-control/

Slightly older children might need a refresher of their independent skills and some preparation for routines after so long at home.

Stories can be great way of introducing new ideas or change. Waterstones have a great suggested reading list all about going to school here.

I also really like In It Together, a story about children with different circumstances going back to school after lockdown. It is from Twinkl who make learning resources. You can listen to it on YouTube here. If your little ones (or even grown ups) are finding social distancing from friends & loved ones hard this lovely story might help.

A love of books and stories is a great building block for lots of early school skills so here are some reading ideas for young children: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/best-books-for-4-year-olds/ https://www.booktrust.org.uk/booklists/b/best-books-for-5-year-olds/

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Good luck to everyone heading back to school (teachers & pupils), enjoy all the exciting new learning opportunities ahead and I hope to see lots of you on school trips soon.

Sarah