Many child care environments help children with school readiness but there is also a lot you can do at home to help give your child the best possible start to life in ‘big school'.
Talk to your child in advance and tell them where they will be going and what they will be doing.
Talk openly about school and tell them stories about your most enjoyable moments at school.
Take your child to visit the school. Show your child where they will be going and where the important places are in the school; classrooms, toilets, canteen, office etc.
Answer any questions they may have openly and honestly reassuring them that everything is OK.
Attend orientation, buddy and transition programs at the school if these are available.
Talk about friends; about saying good bye to old friends and making new friends.
Explain that there will be rules to follow - like getting to school on time, eating times and no running in hallways.
If you know any other families starting at the same school think about arranging a play date for the children.
Find out the obvious things:
What time does school start and finish?
What is the teacher's name?
Is there before and after school care and vacation care? If so, how do I enrol for these programs?
Where do I take my child on the first day and where do I collect them from?
What do the children need on the first day?
What is the standard uniform? Where can I purchase uniforms?
How does the school involve parents and how can I participate?
What happens if my child gets sick at school?
How can parents contact staff - through the school office, by phone or in person?
What do I do if bullying is suspected?
Are there any rules my child needs to know?
What extra curricular programs are on offer?
We all feel better when we have the right 'tools' to do the job and this is especially true with children. Most of us have some recollection of not fitting in as well as we would have liked at school and some children have more anxiety than others. Help your child to fit in and find out what types of uniform, bags, lunchboxes most children will have.
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