Starting School – Our Top Ten Tips

Have you got a child starting school? If you’ve got a child about to start in Reception class this month or next, then you might appreciate a few hints on making the transition easier for them.  Many of the tips will work well for younger children starting in a school nursery or a Pre-School too.

• Read all the paperwork the school sent you and make sure you’ve actioned anything you needed to do.
• If you’ve missed a deadline on something, it may not be too late, try ringing the school ahead of term starting.  Often staff are in a few days before term starts especially secretarial or administration staff.
• Check the uniform still fits if you bought it a while ago.  You don’t want problems on the first day.
• Label everything that you don’t want to lose.  Don’t forget shoes and pumps (they will all look very similar and some will be identical.
• If you’re planning to send in packed lunches or snacks, label all the boxes/containers up too.  I made the mistake of not labelling some smaller tubs which were inside the bigger (named) sandwich box and ended up losing them.
• If you’re still buying school uniform, buy as big as you can, without the clothes falling off them.  That way, you’ll get more use out of them saving time and money later.
• Clear the schedule for the first few weeks.  Not every child will be tired when they start school, but some will be.  If you haven’t got too much on, it will be easier to be flexible.  You can always add in extra play dates or activities at the last minute, if they are fine.
• Arrange to meet up with another classmate on the way to school.  That way, they’ll have someone to walk in with and the chances are they will be distracted by having a friend around.
• Try to be able to take and collect them for the first few days.  Make more time for them at home.  Don’t be surprised if your child is a bit clingy with this big change to their life.
• Don’t expect to hear much about the school day.  They seem to forget everything they did the second they walk out the door, but sometimes they’ll mention things later when something sparks a memory.

If your child has passed this stage, do you have any tips to add to the list?  Or an experience to share?