How to Prepare Your Child For Primary School
How to Prepare Your Child For Primary School?
Written by Bea Garcia-ChoyCreate positive anticipation about primary in your home.
This can be done through stories and conversations about moving up to big school i.e. different books and videos as well as helping your child talk about what he / she is worried about when moving to Primary. Little children have big concerns and big worries, you are the best person to process this with them. (TOP TIP: Do not devalue their concerns. Make sure to start with sentences like "I understand why you are scared. I was scared when I was young like you too." Sentences such as "You don't need to be scared! That's silly!" will make their feelings seem invalid and will not help them move forward.)
Know everything you can about the primary school your child will be attending.
This means reading school circulars, going to parent briefings, asking questions when needed, etc. Once you know about the school, you are better equipped to answer your child's questions.
Establish a routine during the summer holidays.
If your child went to pre school, chances are that they have a pretty solid routine already. However, most Primary Schools start earlier in terms of time, and so this routine may need to be changed. Make sure that 2-3 weeks before the holidays end, you establish a clear sleeping / waking up routine that caters to your child's Primary schedule. TOP TIP: Make it fun! Include pretend play in the ritual and dramatize what it will be like for your child getting ready for school once the academic year starts. This will make him/ her more excited for what's to come!
Talk about friendship and making new friends.
One of the most alienating feelings for a 5/6 year old is the feeling of not being able to make friends at school. It is great to read your child stories about how to make friends and being kind to their peers so that when the time comes that they need to practice this, they have the strategies to do so.
Top up on your child’s school readiness skills.
At this age, your child is expected to listen and follow simple instructions, feed themselves and eat independently, dress themselves (including their shoes - try not to get shoes that will be difficult for them to wear at this point), put on their school bags independently, go to the toilet independently, share with their peers and express what they need and how they feel. There are many programs that help boost your child's School Readiness (Casita will have one too, next month) and exercises you can do at home to help them practice these skills. Your children are best able to adapt and adjust to big school when they have mastered these things.
Visit the school with your child.
If you have an opportunity to do this with your child, please do so. If not, a simple walk / drive through the outside of the campus will be great for them. Show them that this is the place they will be going to soon, and try to explain each part to them. This will be good for preparing your child and managing his/her expectations.
Safety first.
Especially now, with COVID-19, your child needs to learn about safety and hygiene. Teach your child how to wear their own masks, change the masks (and when to change it, ie it becomes to wet from playing outside in the playground), keeping them on. This includes washing their hands (the length and thoroughness can be lost in a child's routine) and basically just protecting them from viruses and illnesses that can be easily spreadable through children in a classroom setting.
