What is School Readiness?

School readiness is a term that is often used to describe the skills and attributes that children require before their first term in their Reception Class of their school.  Often this phrase can cause lots of confusion, however it is more about the child's physical, social and emotional development than academic ability.

Here are some tips and tricks to help guide you through the summer months prior to your child having their first day in their new Reception Class.

Chat about starting school

Starting school is a big step for every child and of course it can feel daunting! Try to focus on positive wording and activities that your child will be involved in such as making new friends; phrases such as 'big school' can make children feel that it is something they are not ready for. Chat through any worries your child may have and relate it to experiences that you yourself have had in the past - starting a new job or what you remember about starting school - to help share a connection and show that you understand how they are feeling.  Ask the class teacher to chat through the typical daily routine with you in advance so that you can share this information with your child before their first day. Talk through what your child can look forward to and also, where you will drop them off and pick them up from each day.

Building up Social Skills

Social skills and etiquette can be tricky even for adults, and when you are with the same group of people for 7 hours each day it can be hard to navigate social situations, so helping your child develop these skills is a vital part of School Readiness.  

This is a great opportunity for you to play games together and practise winning and losing in addition to understanding and playing by the rules. Helping your child understand the emotions of success and failure is incredibly powerful but also helps them to recognise the emotions that they are feeling and find ways to manage them appropriately.  Developing concentration by seeing things through, completing a puzzle even if it is tricky, or playing a game to the end, even if it is evident that someone else is going to win, are skills that are a vital part of the classroom and not only develop concentration levels, but also help children to celebrate the successes of others.

Everyday chats with your child are great for building an understanding of conversational turn-taking exercises.  We want all children to have a voice in our school, so learning to engage and learning to wait your turn to speak are great attributes. Getting out and about to be in different social situations, going to the playground, libraries and restaurants all require different etiquette and are great places to practise different skills.

Developing Independence Skills

As parents, we all want to help our children complete tasks and support them in everyday activities, such as dressing themselves, putting their shoes on the correct feet, toileting and at mealtimes.  It is lovely when we are able to help our children, however,  often we continue supporting them long after they can complete these daily tasks independently.  The months leading up to the start of school are a great time to start encouraging your child to become less reliant upon you and focusing  on the sense of achievement that they will feel when they manage to carry out these tasks on their own.  It will require both time (to complete the task required) and patience (as mistakes will be made along the way).

Involving children in meal times is a great way to support routines, help with hand-eye co-ordination and develop key skills which will serve them well in the Reception classroom - laying the table, pouring water into glasses, discovering left and right for cutlery placement, counting out the number of settings required and carrying their plate to the table all build independence and more understanding of the world around them. Clearing away at the end of the mealtime works well too for knowing where items belong, and prepares the children for being able to put back resources when they are finished with, and to work as part of a team.  Such routines in the family home help children to develop a sense of time and a sense of belonging, and the predictable nature of these routines will really help them to understand, recognise and eventually anticipate the pattern and predictable elements of the school day. Conversations sparked around mealtimes help children understand social cues and etiquette and when we ask children questions through conversation, we encourage them to become independent thinkers.

Dressing and undressing are required for all children, as we have PE lessons requiring a kit change and day to day we might get wet or muddy through our play explorations.  We have little accidents where we spill things on ourselves and occasionally have toileting accidents. Being able to dress and undress ourselves is a great skill to have and often allows more time for the children to carry out other activities.  It is always easier to learn and develop these skills in the summer months when we tend to wear fewer layers.  

Having a few spare changes of underwear/ tights/socks/ trousers in your child's bag is very important in the first term. Children can become quite shy and nervous around toileting, especially when in a new environment. Helping the children to carry out these tasks independently can be incredibly beneficial to them, in building their confidence and helping them to see themselves as 'grown up'.

These skills are so helpful in supporting children as they start school and creating the building blocks for lifelong learning. We look forward to your child taking the first exciting steps on that journey with us.

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