Starting primary school is an exciting time for everyone involved. However, it’s important to understand that your school expects your child to know some basic life lessons before starting their primary school journey.
Getting your child ready for school
Teaching your child some self-care skills will make life easier and less stressful for your child. Below are a few great tips to help.
- Toilet and hygiene
Spend a bit of time with your child to build up their confidence using the toilet independently, using toilet paper rather than moist wipes.
- Killing germs
Take some time to show your child how to wash their hands properly, especially after going to the toilet. You can also teach your child to get in the habit of the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ routine. A fun and easy way to teach them about how germs can linger on their skin is to cover their hands in paint and then try to wash it all off. Let them know that germs are invisible, unlike the paint, and only washing your hands thoroughly will get rid of all the germs/paint.
- Feeding themselves
Build your child’s confidence to be independent by having them practice using a full-sized knife and fork and carrying a plate or tray, or opening up all the containers in their lunch box.
- Dressing themselves
Spend time teaching your child how to dress themselves independently. Try teaching your child little tricks to make it easier, for example holding cuffs to stop sleeves riding up, and wrinkling tights to put toes in first.
- Tidying up
Get your child into the habit of tidying up after themselves. Many schools use music to indicate tidy up time as it can be motivating. Try practicing this at home and you might find it can become quite a fun game to play.
- No naps
If your child takes naps, it’s best to try and phase these out before starting primary school. Creating a bedtime routine will help make sure your child gets plenty of sleep to ensure they’re awake and alert throughout the following day.
Preschool/play group
If your child has attended preschool, then they are well on their way to having the social and practical skills needed to do well at school. However, don’t worry if your child hasn’t attended preschool before beginning primary school. Taking a bit of time to build these skills will help meet the expectations from primary schools.
To find more information on Sandwell Nursery placements, head over to the Sandwell Council website.
Different learning styles
Your child’s learning happens both at school and at home. It’s a great idea to find out how your child learns, so you can make sure your child is getting the most out of the life lessons learnt at home.
There are four learning styles in total.
- Visual Learners
- Tend to be fast talkers
- Might interrupt conversations
- Tend to learn through visuals
- Need quiet study time
- Auditory Learners
- Tend to speak slowly
- Naturally good listeners
- Frequently repeat things out loud
- Reading pace is on the slow side
- Kinaesthetic Learners
- Tend to be slow talkers
- Prone to fidgeting
- Learn through hands-on problem solving
- Often take breaks while studying due to a short attention span
- Read/Write Learners
- Learn best from memorising things by reading or writing
Attendance
All schools expect their pupils to have a healthy attendance rate. Absences from school can have a massive impact on your child’s education.
If your child is arriving late to school regularly, then try incorporating a stricter bedtime routine at night. This can help make sure your child gets the appropriate amount of sleep and isn’t as likely to oversleep in the morning.
Interested in finding out more tips and advice on similar topics? Check out the ‘Getting ready for school’ or ‘Secondary School’ pages.