Starting school can be an emotional experience for a child and their parents, particularly if it’s your eldest or youngest child and it’s something you haven’t experienced before, or are unlikely to experience again. With the summer holidays now in full swing, I am sharing some tips with you which could help to make the process as smooth as possible. Having my eldest child just leave reception it is all very fresh in my mind. And I have it all to come in September again with my second child who will be going into reception. It can be a daunting and worrying experience, especially if your child did not attend the school’s nursery and is not familiar with the surroundings or the other children. Both of my daughters (going into Reception and year 1) did not attend the nursery class at their school. It is extremely common to go through a variety of thoughts and emotions. Saying goodbye to your little ones to go off to school may even be welcomed by some parents, but can still be emotional to begin. Particularly if you, like me, have summer born babies. Having two August born children, I certainly did not welcome the fact that my daughter, who had literally just turnt 4, was off to big girl school. This year my daughter will have been 4 for just two weeks before she goes off to school for the first time also. I would still prefer her to start closer to 5 but have come to accept the school admittance process in the UK. Having a sister 12 months older it was also important to me to not hold her back and seperate them further in school years as they are so close in life in general. Hence my decision to start her in reception in September when she is currently still 3.
Enjoy the summer holidays and make some special memories with your little ones but do start to get them used to the fact that they will soon be starting school. Whatever your feelings about it, do be aware of what feelings you do and do not share with them. Speak positively about school and if ever feeling sad or anxious about it, avoid expressing this in front of them or when they are within ear shot. The anxious feelings are very easy to catch, if their grown up is feeling scared about the process they are likely to soak that up and start feeling that way too. Tell them what your teacher was called when you went to school (make it up if you can no longer remember!) and familiarise them with their new teachers name.
Keep it positive! Make the process fun and start this in the holidays. Include them in picking their uniform and let them have an input in what they would like. There are different style shorts, trousers, skirts, dresses, shoes and so on. There is enough variety out there to give them some of the responsibility to select what they prefer. There are also ways to make it enjoyable by perhaps letting them choose a personalised book bag or lunch box with their favourite character on, or in their favourite colour. We ordered our book bags and packed lunch bags online from http://www.heymamastore.co.uk where there were lots of design choice (including unicorns, footballs and various fonts and colours).
And whilst on the subject of school uniform I would definitely recommend Velcro strap footwear for their first year at least. I’ve often been tempted by other, more attractive styles, but it is all about making things as easy as possible for them. Particularly when they will be expected to take off, and put back on, their shoes independently after PE.
Over the summer practice some basics that they will be expected to know before starting school, such as putting on their own shoes. Dont stress about the academic learning side of things but do be aware of some basics that will be needed for starting school. Below is a list of 5 things to work on over the holidays:
1. Taking off their coat and being able to hang it up (along with their bag). Aswell as being able to put it on for break times and home time. To be even more prepared you could do a practice run of putting on their PE kit by themselves (giving them plenty of time to do so and encouraging them to take their time if they get in a muddle).
2. Going to the toilet independently, including flushing the chain and washing their hands.
3. Using a knife and fork ( particularly if they will be having school dinners). Using a jug to pour water into a cup would also be beneficial. Along with holding a tray.
4. Recognising their own name in writing so they can identify their own coat peg. It is desirable for them to write their own name, so that could be practiced over the summer but do not put too much pressure on them if they are not yet able.
5. They will be expected to be able to count 1-10 though 1-20 would be better still. Counting together is something you can do often and can be done pretty much anywhere… in the car, counting steps when walking, counting pennies, or incorparated in play with blocks or other items.
Practice and repetition really does work at making your child feel comftable in the tasks that are ahead of them. It’s also a good idea to purchase,or rent from the library, a story book about starting school to read to them. I found it beneficial reading a story about school without it being all about them starting school themselves. It was helpful to listen to the story of somebody else experiencing it.
If you do have a child that suffers with anxiety or has trouble expressing their feelings then I would recommend purchasing a “Worry Plague” from The Irish Fairy Door Company. We recently got one and the girls have really taken to it when feeling uncomftable or concerned. These plaques are a fun magical way of getting your little ones to express their worries by placing their hand on the worry stone and sharing their worry. The plague changes colour and that indicates that the worry has been taken away with the fairies to solve it for them. Even children who are not very vocal will benefit by thinking of their worry when holding their hand on the plague then feeling the worry going away. These are good for children who are not yet able to write their worries down as they can just tell the fairies instead. These may also be the thing to turn to if your child starts school and then at a later date decides that they do not like school or an element of it. Do always focus on the positives of school but do let them know that there may be times when they feel tired or not totally fine and that they can, and should, tell their teacher, who wants everyone to be happy at school.
The Worry Plague can be purchased from http://www.theirishfairydoorcompany.com and some Smyths Toys stores.
If you know any of the mums who’s children are starting school with your child, it could be beneficial to reach out and arrange a park play date over the holidays to let the children meet before the school year begins. The mums in my daughters class all joined a closed, private, Facebook group also just for parents of the reception kids to share information about letters sent home, event dates, misplaced uniforms etc it was very helpful for me. It’s something you could suggest once the kids have started at school.
Just before school begins perhaps get some fun character, or nicely smelling bubble bath (or a bath bomb for mini bath bomb lovers) to look forward to using the evening before their first day.
Once they are doing full days at school do expect them to be tired so don’t plan too much after school during the first couple of months. A celebratory dinner or ice cream treat may be very welcomed after their first day or week though and is a nice way to show them they are doing well, and that starting school is something to be happy about.
As tempting as it may be, try not to bombard them with questions about their day. It’s easier said than done as we want to know everything about their day, what they ate, who they played with, what their teacher is like. Don’t expect them to answer too much as the majority of the time all I got back was “ I don’t remember”. This is the most common response so don’t think it’s just your child who either doesn’t want to tell you, just cannot be bothered to, or really doesn’t remember. I still haven’t figured out which one it is, or perhaps is a combination of all of them. When something exciting happens they will be sure to tell you. It is also worth while taking a snack and drink when you go to collect them after school to prevent any hunger fuelled melt downs. The snacks are always greatly appreciated by my little one the second she is out of the classroom and back with me. She will have eaten it way before we are back home.
And lastly make the most of the time that you will now get to yourself if you are a stay at home mum. You may find yourself missing them during the day to begin with, but you will soon adjust to having more time to tackle other things. Whether you have other children at home, will be home alone, or go to work everyday, you will get much enjoyment over the next year watching your child develop new skills, learn to write and have fun during special school events and holiday seasons. There are lots of fun things to look forward to such as sending cards at Christmas if you celebrate it, harvest festival where they learn about giving, and a particular favourite of mine is World Book Day in March, which most schools take part in. The year goes far too quickly so make the most of it and try to go on at least one school trip or parent participating activity. It is lovely to see your child in their school environment and getting an insight into how they are in their school setting.
Good luck to all your little ones making that big step into school life. Embrace the emotions, just try to remember to keep the negative ones away from the kids. Share your feelings and let them out, just preferably with other mums, friends, or family. Although it is daunting they will soon settle in at their own pace and they will amaze you at how much they learn in a short amount of time once they get into the swing of things.
Have a happy summer and good luck little ones for September (and the mummies who may be needing it more!)
xx
IThe B Box essentials case is a great little invention that was recently brought to my attention. For days out, shopping trips and quick appointments, these compact little changing essential cases are a god send. These boxes can fit easily under your pram or into your handbag and are easy to grab out for a quick pop to the baby change area.
When purchasing tickets I do recommend fast track as you can collect your ticket at the ride entrance and will have a 30 minute time slot to come back later and avoid the queues. This was a great buy. However do note that they aren’t great for very young children as there are only 2 rides in the Disney park that you can use fast track on (Peter pan & Buzz light year lazer) and one other in the Walt Disney studio (if you have hopper tickets). The Peter Pan’s flight was a personal favourite of mine and had no height restrictions. The fast track is definitely best suited for adults and older children as you will get more use out of it. The rides with fast track are mainly those rides not suitable for toddlers. We also assumed that Woody would be around in the Walt Disney studios park as there is a Toy story area, but he actually has meet and greets in the main Disney park. You really do need to plan in advance as we missed out on seeing him, though he did make an appearance during the main parade at 5:30pm which made my little girl’s day. Get a space for the parade from around 4 45pm and not much later as people really do not accomadate small children even if they are adults with no children of their own. They did not generally let the small ones through to see, which was quite frustrating considering it would have made no difference to their own view. It is every man for themselves when it comes to parades and displays so get a good position in advance!
thesweetlifeofmilan 