How can parents help?

Home to School Transition- The Early Years

How can parents help?

Reception class is a huge transition for your child. The length of the school day can make them very tired and emotional. They need to get used to the routines of a full school day. They need to get used to becoming a little more independent from parents, including things like managing their own toileting, eating lunch more independently and getting changed for PE.

You can help them over the summer :

• Encourage your child to be more independent when getting changed (putting shoes and socks on and having a go at doing buttons).
• Teach your child to fold their clothes and look after their belongings by putting them back in the same place.
• Show your child how to open food packets and finding healthy option snacks that they enjoy to put in lunch boxes.
• Teach them how to use a knife and fork and celebrating when they eat all their dinner.
• Make sure they are independent when going to the toilet and that they always wash their hands.

You can also help them ease into Reception by labelling all their clothes/bags/lunch-boxes very clearly, so they feel secure about what belongs to them. Also, by buying them shoes with Velcro rather than laces and putting them in socks rather than tights on PE days (obviously weather dependent.)

Finally, things that you may not consider or remember about your school days will really affect your children, things that you may not have considered! Not having their PE kit on PE days really upsets them. Not bringing their reading bag in when everyone else has theirs bothers them. Not having their snack at playtime can be really unsettling. Walking in late to class when everyone else is on the carpet can worry them. Please try to set up a routine that makes them feel safe and confident about school each day. This is exactly what we do because we know how important the little things are to them when they first come to school! And we can promise you, we do everything we can to ensure they love school- their happiness and security is our number one priority!

Below is a good website to help make your child feel more confident about transition into reception. It has videos, games, advice and downloadable activities.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/collections/starting-primary-school/1