This is a topic that is very close to my heart for two reasons:
1) My eldest daughter started school last year and is about to go into year 1 (blub)
2) I am a primary school reception class teacher
I therefore couldn’t let August end without offering some words of advice for any parents who will be waving off their little ones on the first day of school in a couple of weeks.
I know exactly how you feel – whether this is your first or last child starting reception, it is an emotional time and a huge milestone!
Hopefully by now you have met your child’s teacher and have had some transition visits at the school or at home. You’re probably gathering together the last bits of uniform needed and mentioning the big day to your child frequently in order to prepare them (and yourself).
There are a few things you can do to make their transition smooth and also give them the best possible start…
My final bullet point gets its own introduction because I cannot stress the importance of this one enough…
You will be absolutely amazed by how your child develops this year – they’ll learn to read, count, gain confidence, use wonderful vocabulary, tell you facts about things that you didn’t even know and hopefully, develop a love of learning – that’s the aim anyway.
Doing all of the above will give them a super start but, as the year goes on, it’s worth noting that the most successful pupils in school have lots of sleep, have limited ‘screen time’, are encouraged to be independent and experience play at home (outdoor play, model building, crafts, lego, baking etc).
Finally, I just want to say that your child is in good hands – trust in the teachers (I know it’s hard) and make sure you communicate any concerns you have. Your child is beginning their school journey – this needs to be a partnership between school and parents and any way that you can support the work that is happening in school will benefit your child.
I hope you’ve found something helpful from my ramblings and wish you and your kids all the best with the big day and beyond – brace yourselves… your child has never been as tired as they will be for the first term at school. It’s a painful seven weeks!
Guest blog written by Caroline Fox.
August 2018
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