School readiness: How to prepare your child for school

These “ready for school” activities can be done in your everyday routine

When it’s time for a child to go to school, there are lots of practical things to think about, like uniform, the school run and after-school care. You can also help your child build important skills for school readiness, helping them adjust to the new environment more easily.

Children learn best when they are interested and motivated. Stop the activity when your child loses interest. You want your child to stay excited about these activities and want more.

In the kitchen

◘ Responsibility

Giving young children small responsibilities at mealtimes will lay the foundation for greater expectations as they get older. Children also feel a greater sense of family when they are encouraged to help and work as a team.

Folding napkin: Have your child place a napkin on the table for each family member. Encourage your child to fold the napkins in different ways (eg, a rectangle, triangle or even a fan) Variation: cut napkin rings from empty toilet rolls, show your child how to roll the napkins and insert them into the napkin rings.

We are learning responsibility, hand-eye coordination, shapes, fractions, and task completion.

◘ Reading

Children learn the majority of words by memorising sight words. They learn sight words such as “the”, “a”, and “s” through sight repetition. Children can follow simple directions in a recipe by reading the pictures that accompany the words.

Let’s cook: check out a children’s cookbook from the library or purchase pre-packaged baking mixes like cookies or pizza dough. Have your child “read” the recipe by looking at the pictures to tell you which ingredients you need and what to do. Variation: prepare your own sandwich or salad recipe. Have your child dictate the recipe and draw the pictures.

We are learning word recognition, sequencing, teamwork, and task completion.

◘ Arithmetic

Children begin to understand the number “zero” when they equate it with the familiar concept of “none”.

Eat to zero: give your child a few small pieces of food, such as apple slices or Hula Hoops. Count with him/her how many pieces of food s/he has. Count again each time s/ he eats one. When s/he eats all the food, ask “how many are left?” Introduce the number “zero” for the words “all gone” and “none”. Variation: ask your child how many bananas are in the fruit bowl (or some other common food) and then reinforce the concept of zero by asking, “How many dinosaurs are in the fruit bowl?”

We are learning: arithmetic, numbers, counting, and zero.

◘ Writing

Children are more eager to write when they are given adult-type papers and forms. Children enjoy imitating adult work and jobs that require writing.

May I take your order? Give your child a small spiral-bound notebook and a pencil, and ask him/her to take everyone’s drink order for dinner. Your child can scribble, draw a picture or symbol, or try to write the word. Variation: alternatively, make a small chart with boxes for your child to check with a tick, cross or number, for example, water, milk or juice.

We are learning: pre-writing, finger dexterity, memory, and connecting the spoken word with the written word.

---

These activities are a sample of the advice offered to parents on the “Ready for School” family activity cards compiled by Bright Horizons Family Solutions’ Nursery Group.

www. brighthorizons.co.uk