Starting School is a really important and exciting time for both you and your child. Many of you will be a little nervous about it, please be assured that you won't be alone in feeling this way and we will take good care of your child whilst s/he is with us. There are a few things that you can do to prepare your child for starting school and during the first weeks/months that they are there, such as:
- get your child used to being away from you for a short time
- make sure s/he is toilet trained
- teach him/her to put on and take off his/her own coat, jumper and shoes
- help him/her to recognise his/her own name
- share stories together, talking about the pictures and what is happening
- sing songs and nursery rhymes together
- talk about what you are doing whilst playing, going to the park, cooking, shopping etc
- ask your child questions about what s/he is doing
- provide your child with lots of physical activities to develop core strength and muscles, such as running, jumping, climbing, dancing, throwing, catching and kicking a ball
- make sure s/he gets a good night's sleep
The documents below provide some more activities that you could try with your child at home.