August birthday - tips on school prep

[YukoandHiro]

My DD will be 4 in early August and starts reception in September. I'm very aware that she still seems so young to me. Any advice on particular areas/skills I can help her develop over the summer to minimise the adjustment?

I would focus on practical things, like taking her coat on and off, toileting by herself, shoes on and off, recognising her name when it’s written down, those kind of things

I also have a summerborn dc starting reception in September. I am focusing on making sure he is pretty independent with toileting, Eg able to pull his own trousers up and down, making sure he pulls them down far enough to prevent accidently weeing on them etc.
We talk about lunch time, how it will all work.

Does she go to nursery? My DS goes to the one attached to the school he will attend and they have been brilliant at helping to get him ready.

She does go to nursery (not a school attached one) and they are happy with her progress, don't have any concerns. She's pretty good at using the toilet independently but still has the occasional accident at nursery when she's very engrossed in an activity and doesn't want to stop. Hoping that lessens over the next few months. She never has an accident at home.
I haven't spoken to her about lunch as she has allergies so need to speak to the school first so I can give her some clear messages.
I'm excited for her and she's definitely ready for the challenge but I do worry about her being so young and small. Obviously those almost a year older will probably be reading and writing when they start.

Dd starts reception in September and turns 4 in August. Her two siblings have been in reception last year and the previous year ( both nearly a year older on starting). We were previously asked to ensure they can use the toilet independently. Dress themselves reasonably well, put shoes on, do zips up, buttons etc. Be capable of opening food in lunchbox, use cutlery if school dinners. Be able to listen. Academically they were clear that they didn’t expect them to be able to read and write at all. Last year the school encouraged from May onwards letter recognition, name recognition, number recognition and counting from 1-10. Basic shape and colour knowledge. They also sent laminated letter formation practice sheets with rhyme and number ones too and lots of motor skill practice such as threading, playdoh, stickers. ( they even had a bag of threading cards, playdoh and scratch art sets to collect to encourage it). I think they were keen as preschool and nursery were closed for significant periods. My eldest dc couldn’t write his name and refused to hold a pencil on starting reception in 2019 and he was nearly 5, ability’s vary. Really pleased as they are getting transition mornings and afternoons in July this year too.

Dressing and undressing - cardigans, jumpers, PE kit, socks, coat (zips if possible), wellies and shoes (velcro only!).
Recognising own name label.
Toileting - Able to wipe own bottom, flush toilet, wash hands. Sometimes they might need help. Where I work we only give verbal assistance on how to wipe after a poo unless it's utter carnage. Then it's a two adult job for everyone's benefit (but that leaves class short). It really helps if a child is confident enough to let an adult know if they've had an accident too (either sort).
Able to cut up own lunch.

If she can write her name that's a great bonus (my August child couldn't), but really it's having the basics thoroughly mastered that helps most. I work in a reception class as a TA, doing up thirty coats (etc) takes ages.

Obviously those almost a year older will probably be reading and writing when they start.

My son is starting in sept too and he is born beginning of Oct, so one of the older ones, as are most his friends. None of them can read or write. At best he can recognise a few letters and does a few phonics which they do at pre school.

I think the reading and writing is best left to learn at school, the teacher is well trained and knows how to support these skills. I read it’s harder for a teacher to unlearn wrong things from parents than teach it first time around if that makes sense.

The main difference will be the change to a more formal classroom setting. It has been a long time since my two summer borns started school and so we are almost out the other side, Ds1 is in year 13 doing A levels and Ds2 is in year 10.

I volunteer in a primary school though so this is not from memory. The nursery there is mostly set up to sit everyone on the carpet with areas dedicated to certain play such as a shop or a reading area etc. Classrooms in reception are more tables and chairs so sitting in a chair whilst doing an activity is an important one to get her used to.

Don't assume that older children will already read and write. Just because a child has a particular birthday does not mean it is set in stone that they will always be ahead. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing or is capable of. Your child is what matters. It is easy to worry about a summer born because we are constantly told they will struggle. However, both of mine have excelled academically and socially they have been fine.

I agree with everything everyone else said about dressing, toileting and recognising her name so she can find her peg and tray. School are there to teach, support the learning is the biggest gift you can give her.

I’ve worked in nurseries for years. A very few children can read and write when they start school but not the majority. Most can form some or all of the letters of their own name, and can recognise their own name. They can recognise other letters but not actual reading.

None of my own children could write their own name properly when they started. But learnt very quickly once they were at school.

How to leave her things in a relatively neat pile and then find them again. Being able to put uniform on after she has taken it off for PE, so won't necessarily all be out the right way etc. How to find her own things from a pile of simillar items - don't just pack her. PE kit, show it to her so she recognises it. Using cutlery, waiting her turn and how to get adult attention both day to day and in a emergency (desperate for toilet)

DD is august born. I can't actually remember transition into school, if I'm honest. Think she was independent at toileting, changing, could hold a pencil... If it's any help, she was pretty much always on the top table throughout primary, has flown into high school, has friends, engaged in loads of activities... People are generally surprised to find out she's one of the youngest in her year.

When I was told she'd met the expected standard if a 5yo at the end of reception I was slightly narked because she'd met the expected standard but wasn't actually 5. Mentally I tagged her as exceeding expectations 😂
The only time it was an issue was age restricted activities at birthday parties. She could invite anyone to hers (eg climbing) because everyone was older but there is a risk that she might be excluded from someone's party because she wasn't old enough for the actual activity.

Thanks @EcoCustard - I'm actually not worried about her academically at all she can do a lot of the things on that list already and is keen to learn, practicing reading first words by choice etc. It's definitely the social and practical stuff that concerns me. She's toileting independently but only just (obvs we have a few months to practice), and was a late Walker and has always been behind on gross motor. She can dress and undress her bottom half including shoes but struggles with tips. She can get her coat on but only using the "Montessori flip" method, not arm by arm. I'm going to have to work with her on all those things this summer. Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully school will be keeping an eye on the youngest class members too.

*struggles with tops

Oh also she's totally toilet trained in the day but is still in night nappies. She shows none of the signs of being ready to remove them - is night dryness something I should push for before school?

Nobody even needs to know that she wears night time nappies and it has no bearing on school at all. However, saying that, I do remember filling in some form thing when one of mine was in reception, I think at the end of reception and saying they were still in nighttime nappies. I got a call from the school nurses team a while later to discuss continence issues! It honestly makes no difference at school until they get to the age of either school trips or sleepovers.

We used to run under 5s sessions at the library and, as well as playtime, the emphasis was on encouraging them to sit nicely on the rug with their listening ears and pay attention for the length of the picture book. Paying attention and listening to instruction is an important skill when they start.

I’d agree about practical skills such as putting in their cost for playtime, knowing what their name looks like and being able to hang stuff on their peg. My late August born son went to school being able to read but wasn’t very competent in practical skills and he did struggle a bit at first.

Paying attention and listening to instruction is an important skill when they start.

Eek my son has no hope!

Thanks everyone

Holding a pencil
Using cutlery
Washing hands
Getting shoes around the right way
Staying awake all day!
My son was August. He couldn’t write his name properly/hadn’t even achieved pencil holding, definitely couldn’t read. He wasn’t behind at all though, and starting school was the making of him. Reception is fine, not too much different to nursery.

I would sit back and relax about the transition into school.
Have easy to put on clothing for the child.
A wet clothes bag is a good idea.
We have visits before they begin school and I look forward to watching what my child gravitates to in the classroom and playground.
They are so small it is difficult not to worry as a mum.
We talk about school & read together sometimes practise letters
daycare prompt the sitting on the mat, name recognition, responsibilities so my child has some instilled already.
I do not believe a child needs to unlearn anything a parent teaches them..seriously I have never been told not to assist my children nor are we doing it wrong as pp mentions (uk but not in my country they value parents input)