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As 2017 enters the final quarter, thousands of littlies across the nation will be readying to enter school. This transition from pre-school to primary school marks a major shift in your child’s learning and social journey that elicits excitement, anxiety and anticipation alike.
So as the countdown commences to kindergarten here’s what you can do to prepare your child for primary school.
Children commencing primary school aren’t expected to have a firm grasp on reading or writing. They’ll spend their initial school days exploring language, letters, and numbers before moving onto sightwords, reading and spelling.
While a huge set of skills isn’t a pre-requisite, parents can assist at this early stage, familiarising children with the alphabet, counting and writing their name.
The key here is familiarity not mastery, and learning can be through song, crafts, counting games and more.
Meanwhile, reading to children and demonstrating a love of books is one of the most valuable educational gifts a parent can provide, offering their child the keys to language, syntax, expression, and imagination.
Much of kindergarten relies on fine motor skills that are required to hold a pencil, complete craft projects and master the art of letter formation.
These fine motor skills can be honed through a number of ways including drawing, cutting, tracing lines, glueing cutout shapes on paper and more.
Games like pick-up sticks, using pegs to grasp items and similar exercises all help strengthen these skills that will be built on throughout primary school.
As much as school is about education, the first years are also about discovering a whole new social world. For many children this is the first opportunity they will have to forge friendships almost entirely independently of their family.
In the months leading up to kindergarten it’s useful to increase exposure to this brave new social world, focusing on skills like sharing, conflict resolution, and play.
Some children will have acquired these habits at pre-school or daycare, but others might need further assistance through organised play dates or playgroup.
As exciting as it is to go to ‘big school’, the first few weeks can be tempered with the anxiety of leaving parent’s care. If your child struggles with separation, now is a good time to practice being apart from parents with visits to family and friends.
It’s important to remember, it’s normal for a child to feel anxious when leaving the familiarity of home. And if separation anxiety becomes an issue, it’s phase that will pass with time.
Helpful tips include:
Make no mistake the first few weeks of school are exhausting as children absorb the new world in which they find themselves. Between structured activities, play and environmental stimulus the initial days of school can result in fatigue.
If your child still has a daytime nap, start shortening it, with a focus instead on a bedtime routine that allows them enough sleep at night.
Starting school is an exciting time in children’s and parent’s lives, and a little preparation goes a long way to making the transition smoother in the knowledge a wide world of learning is soon to be explored.
Chalkwall assists students of all ages and abilities in their learning journey. Whether your student is just starting out or heading into their final years of schooling, we’re available to assist with setting good learning principles and acquiring education skills for a lifetime of enjoyable knowledge acquisition.
