As the summer term draws to an end, quite a few of our children will be moving on to pastures new and starting in Reception from September.  Whilst we still hope to see many of the children over the summer and at our afterschool and holiday clubs, we thought we’d share our top tips on how to prepare your child practically for ‘BIG’ school!

Here are a few tips for preparing your child for school in September!

• It’s really important to talk about school in a positive way whenever your child is within earshot. Negative vibes from parents will just make them feel negative about going.

• Can your child sit and concentrate for a ten minute period? They will be expected to be able to do this from September so a couple of practices over the summer holidays may not be a bad idea!

• Encourage your children to put on their own shoes, coats and clothing. Bear in mind that your child will be participating in P.E and will need to change themselves in and out of their uniform on their own.

• Encourage your child to go to the toilet alone and make sure they can wipe their own bottom. Children must be potty trained before they start in Reception as pull-ups are not accepted at  BIG school unless there is a prior arrangement in place with the school.

• If your child will be taking a packed lunch to school, it’s worth noting that lunch boxes are not kept in the fridge so you may want to buy an ice pack to keep the food at a safe temperature.  

• Make sure your child can open drinks and wrappers before packing them in a lunchbox otherwise they will struggle! Also, please remember that lunchtime assistants in school will not be able to peel 30 apples during lunchtime so it is a good idea to encourage your child to eat apples with the skin on!

Whichever school your child goes to, it’s worth remembering that for the majority of schools, there will be one teacher and one classroom assistant for every 30 children so they will not have time to help with the above.  Teaching your child the basics at home will help them feel confident and their transition from Cuddles to BIG school will be much easier.