Starting school is a significant milestone for children and their families. To ensure a smooth transition, it’s important to prepare yourself,  the child and the family for this new experience. 

In this article we share practical and positive strategies for parents on helping you and your child when they are starting school.

Preparation Before School Starts

Visit the School: Arrange a tour of the school,meet the teacher and visit the classroom, explore the playground and other facilities. Most schools will have a date and time that the new infants classes can come to meet their new teacher.

Establish a Routine: Gradually adjust bedtime and wake-up times to match the school schedule. Practice morning and evening routines to make them familiar. Go through their uniform with them or if the school does not have one decide with your child on a few outfits your child will use for school.

Develop Independence: Encourage your child to dress themselves, use the bathroom independently, and manage their belongings. They need to know what is in their school bag and lunch, go through both with your child. Teach them to ask for help when needed. Ensure your child can take on and off their coat. Teach them to open  and close their lunch box and their drink so they can easily do this on their own once school starts. Your school may have a healthy eating policy, familiarise yourself with the policy before discussing lunch options with your child.

Social Skills: Practice and role play sharing, taking turns and following simple instructions. This can be done with other siblings or through play using teddies / dolls. 

The First Day of School – our Connection in Separation programme goes deeper into this area link here

• Notice how you are feeling about the first day at school, can you hold that feeling with love and compassion and without judgement, allow yourself to feel it. This is exactly what you are going to help your child with. 

So doing it first for yourself is vital.  Acknowledge that it might be scary for you and your child and you know that you and your child are brave and can do hard things. 

• Be Punctual, arrive at school on time to help your child settle in. Ensure you or a trusted adult is there to pick them up on time. Be sure your child and teacher knows who is collecting them.

During the First Weeks

Establish a Consistent Routine, maintain consistent morning and bedtime routines.Create a designated homework or reading time. If your child needs time when they get home from school to relax before doing homework give them the time.  Your school will have a homework policy, familiarise yourself with it, they will also specify an appropriate amount of time to be spent on homework depending on your child’s class level. Make homework as playful as possible. Play is your child’s language and how they learn about the world, try and open up to the many possibilities of making homework playful.

Stay Involved: communicate regularly with the teacher if that’s required.  Attend school events and parent meetings. Volunteer in the classroom or school if possible, this may not be possible in all schools, so check the school policy.

Keep an eye out for changes in behavior, sleep patterns, or appetite. Be present for your child, listen to them, their behaviour is always telling us something. 

Social and Emotional Support

Model positive social and emotional skills – teach your child how to initiate and maintain friendships by modelling and role playing with them. This can be taught through play with siblings or with teddies and dolls. 

Coping Skills: Help your child develop strategies for handling stress or disappointment. This is done by modelling your own strategies for handling stress. Practice deep breathing, mindfulness, connecting to the present moment, then yourself and then others.  See our mindfulness practices videos. Also see our article on emotional regulation. Link here

Educational Support Support Learning at Home: Engage in educational activities like puzzles, board games, card games and crafts

Practice basic skills like counting, letter recognition, and writing in a playful way. Use flour  / shaving foam on a baking tray to practice letter formation, write letters or words on your child’s back and have them guess the letter or word, let them do that to you. Have a white board / chalk board and let them write on that. 

Stay Informed: Keep up with school newsletters and communications. Understand the school’s curriculum and know that every child is different and your child will be developing socially , emotionally and educationally at their own pace. 

By being present for your child, listening to them, observing them and showing them that they have your unconditional positive regard is what they need. Letting them rest in your love is the gift you can give to them.

This is also a gift you need to give to yourself first so that you can give it to others, meeting yourself with kindness and compassion so that you can meet others with kindness and compassion.

Prepared to Parent

If you feel you need support on your parenting journey, our Discovery Programme may be what you need. For 6 weeks we will walk alongside you and together we find that ‘missing piece’ for you, that aha moment where you find connection in your role as a parent and then that beautiful new lens through which to see your child.