Tips for preparing your child for starting school

Somehow the impossible has happened, this is my son’s last ever week at playgroup. I’m not quite sure how this can be the case since I’m fairly certain he only started a few weeks back but come September he’ll be starting school. That’s particularly crazy as it’s just taken me three attempts to write school, I’m not sure I’m ready for this! Like most mums I’m not super panicking about him starting, however I do want to make the transition as easy and enjoyable for him as possible, so with that in mind I asked the super wise ladies over on the Crafts on Sea Facebook page for their advice on preparing your child for starting school as well as the advice of some of my blogging friends and there’s a few things we’re doing thrown in here too!

What You'll Find on This Page

Get them involved

“We also made a big deal about back to school shopping. I had him find the list and read what he needed. He was in charge of picking it from the shelf and checking it off the list.” – Sandi

Try and get the basics sorted

“Make sure they can go toilet & wash hands themselves, dress/undress self, fasten buttons / shoes, read & preferably write their name and get a good amount of sleep” – Wendy from Daisies and Pie

Make it Fun

” Practice zipping up and zipping down coats and make a game out of it, how many times can you undo and redo to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star?” – Tracy

Make a poster

We wanted our son to get excited about school and as he hadn’t really visited it my husband made him a big poster using images from the schools website and we popped it on his bedroom wall.

Don’t panic

“My tip? Don’t be anxious. Teachers have seen it all before. As long as the child is capable of basic self care, they’re ready.” – Claire

Talk about it, lots

” I have my youngest starting reception this sept and my eldest starting junior school. I just make sure to talk positively about it, so that they feel it’s something exciting to look forward to! Over the summer holidays we will keep talking about it so that they know what to expect, and to give them a chance to voice any worries they may have.” – Anna

Read about it

Get some books about starting school and read them together, In The Playroom has a great list of books.

Get a check list

Check lists are great for letting kids know what they need to do in the mornings when they go to school. Jen at Mum In The Madhouse has some great checklists for older kids (and some great tips for mums too!) and for younger kids you could turn these into pictures so that they can follow them.

Be positive

“My lil guy was already pretty excited at the thought of it. As an added bonus, I brought up the idea of new friends, new games, new crafts. He was pretty thrilled.” – Bianca

Buy a comic

My kids won’t sit still to do worksheets but my son adores comics. Most of the ones aimed at young kids support the curriculum and are brilliant for helping them to practice their skills with a pencil, maths and literacy skills.

Make a treasure hunt

I adore this idea from Me and My Shadow of making a little treasure hunt for the walk to school, certainly something to look forward too!

Just go and play

Most importantly, remember that your kid is still super small and the most important thing to do during the holidays is play! I love this post from Rediscovered Families about the importance of just having fun and not panicking too much. Get outside when you can, summer is for having fun.

Holiday Fun

Image of boy and girl walking via Shutterstock