What to do Before School

There is no right answer to this topic. I get asked all the time how much children should know when they start school. The trouble is that every child starts school with a different range of abilities. It is very difficult when children start school both for the teacher and the child, as teachers are trying to cater for all the varying needs of the children in their class.

Most often, the first year of school is spent learning one sound a week. There are a lot of children that start school already knowing their sounds; there are some that can read. The varying levels are huge! Upon entry to school, children will now recieve an individual assessment of their knowledge so that the teachers know where they're up to and can design their program accordingly.

If your children are starting school next year or the following, there are simple things that you can do to ensure your child has the best head start:

Teach them to write their name. The best way is for them to learn to do this in the foundation writing that they will learn at school. If you would like a specialised name sheet for your child, email me your child’s name and I can email that straight to you.

With numbers, play games with blocks. Put a pile of say 5 and ask how many there are. Then get them to show you that number on their fingers, if they can do that, introduce writing that number. There is no need to go over ten, as by the end of their first year of school they are only expected to know numbers to 20.

When you do crafty things, let your child use the scissors themselves, this is quite a tricky skill when they begin, but one that they need to know. It’s near impossible for a teacher to help 20 kids at once cut out.

If you read my emails regularly you will know my reading tips, if you’re new, have a look through our past articles for suggestions.

The main thing to remember is that what you teach them before they go to school will provide the foundation for their learning attitudes. If they are curious and want to learn more, then encourage them. The rate at children learn at the age of three – six is really fast so it is quite easy for them to soak up your knowledge. If they are disinterested, it is no real cause for concern; they’re still little and just want to play.

Have fun, Happy Learning!
Tina

P.S We do school readiness classes for children starting school next year. The plus side: they will be very ready and prepared for what they are about to approach. The down side, they may be more than ready and find what they learn when they start school a little boring because they already know. That is for each individual parent to decide.
For more information on school readiness classes in your area, click the purple button at the top.

Tina Tower