With the April school place release been and gone, you might just be beginning to get those pre-school starter nerves. Will my child(ren) make friends? How will they settle into a new routine? Will they like their teacher? How will they get on with their uniform? All big questions, and very frequent ones running through the minds of parents who are facing their first child starting school. In this post, we give our top tips for supporting your child in the transition to ‘big school’ - and for preparing yourself mentally!
New routines
If your child is used to a particular nursery routine, or has spent most of their early years in the home space, moving to a more specifically structured day can be a little nerve-wracking. The good news is, there are heaps of ways to explore school routines, and talk about the differences between school, home and nursery. We love doing this via picture books, as you’re unlikely to be able to prepare your child for the exact routines they will experience at school. We love ‘Starting School’ by Janet and Alan Ahlburg as a lovely, gentle way to discuss what school might be like, and how the days, weeks and months fly by! We also love ‘All Are Welcome Here’ by Alexandra Penfold, which explores the caring communities that schools can be. Booktrust have lots of other fantastic book suggestions if you’re looking to expand your library even further.
It can be great to gently discuss common school routines off the back of picture books like those we’ve suggested. You can discuss drop off and home-time, practice the walk to school, and even play schools with cuddly toys! Above all, make it low stakes, and playful.
Friendships
For many parents, concerns about how your child will handle school socially is top of the worries list. Many children will have been settled into a nursery for a long time, with familiar and comfortable relationships established. If your child is coming from a ‘feeder nursery’ - i.e - a nursery which naturally lends itself to sending children off to a particular local school, this can help. Your child may already know most, or some, of the children in their class.
If this isn’t the case, though, you may feel daunted that they won’t know anyone. It may be that you have moved, or your child didn’t get their first choice of school, so they’re not too familiar with the faces in their classroom. As a team of parents and previous teachers, we want to assure you that this isn’t the end of the world! Children very quickly establish relationships with other children, and staff in schools will put lots of effort into ensuring children without prior connections are included. Often teachers will already have their eye on children who didn’t attend a feeder nursery, or are new to the area, and will make sure to put in that little bit of extra help to ensure they settle well. There are lots of things you can do, too, to help ease the transition. Make sure to attend all visits that schools put on prior to starting, and if a friendly parent sets up a Whatsapp in advance, you might like to try scheduling meet-ups with willing parents on the group, over the summer holidays. Explore lots of books about making friends, emotions and meeting new people - again, Booktrust is a lovely place to start with ideas. Above all, though, try not to put too much pressure on your child establishing lots of relationships early on. This will come with time!
Uniform
Alongside routines and the social side of school, many children will be wearing a school uniform for the first time. School shoes, cardigans, jumpers and backpacks may be entirely new experiences for them. It’s a great idea to practice looking at your child’s uniform before they start as well as trying it on, particularly if you predict your child may find this change to routine challenging. Make sure to label up in advance, too, so you can avoid a sudden need to run to the shops for more uniform if key items are lost!
Good luck!
Starting school is a big step for everyone, but an exciting part of a child’s move towards independence. You’ve got this!
