To ask for tips for 4yos starting school in September

[CherryChasingDotMuncher]

My DD is starting reception next month, she's more than ready (and very excited) for school, but not sure we are

We've got most things in terms of uniform, bags etc, but what are the best tips for preparing you and your child for school? Only thing I'm really doing is getting her to practice undressing and re-dressing for when she does PE. Thought it would help a lot of parents if we had some good tips from parents who've been there!

We started a parents WhatsApp group- add everyone as you meet them- it's much easier for keeping track of school activities, parties, homework etc.. oh, and the obligatory mums night out!

She's nailed bum wiping and recognises her name luckily but is reluctant to write it, she can do the first letter then gets grumpy because she can't do the rest bless her (I bet she does it for the teacher, they always perform well for others! 😂)

Label everything - twice!

They will tell you they did nothing, didn't play with anyone etc - this is not true but their brains are overloaded.

Ask them about school at bedtime - miraculously you'll get a 20 minute chat with detail as it buys them time

They will be hungry when they come out.

They may have forgotten to wee and be bursting when they come out.

Have a 'nit' kit ready - they will get them and going to the late night chemist when you spot them at bath time is a PITA!

Turn their PE kit and uniform inside out and get them to turn it right way round and put it on - it will spend most of its life inside out and screwed up.

Check bag daily for letters - Primaries like to use a trees worth of paper a week for the eleventy billionth 'fun' thing to remember.

If they take packed lunch, use flip style sports bottle top drinking bottles. Screw on ones are never screwed on properly and wet bags are inevitable.

Buy PE pumps in all sizes higher too as they usually announce theirs are hurting them without warning and smugly pulling a new pair out of a drawer feels epic

Be early for any assemblies or plays - queues form well in advance if times on tickets and front row equals good photos to bribe them with when they're 18.

Lastly enjoy it ... it goes by in a flash. DD starts Year 7 in Sept

If she's having school dinners practice carrying a plate or small tray from kitchen to table and pouring water from jug to glass. There are lots of spillage sin reception!

She will.never remember what she has done at the end of each school day but will be able to recall every single day and what she done at the end of the year and be offended that you didn't remember!

Get yourself the following:

A yellow t shirt for Roald Dahl day
A costume for world book Day
Something red for comic relief
Something spotty for Children in Need
A white t shirt to decorate for Sports Relief

And a bag of £1 coins for the endless non uniform days!

And label the clothes. Can't speak for girls but my son frequently come home on the wrong shoes (always sizes too big too)

Label EVERYTHING. Get hundreds of Stikins from Amazon.
Encourage them to have school dinners - it's free and the oeer pressure helps fussy eaters.
Practise dressing and undressing.
Be prepared for them to be VERY tired!

Oh and set up a secure Facebook group for the parents in the same year. Invaluable to ask questions and share knowledge!

Buy boys school shoes as the girls ones are shite.

Always check School bag every day. I am still recovering from finding a long lost banana.

School secretary here.... and cannot emphasise enough the naming everything!!! Remember the shoes!!!

Good questions to ask are 'what was the best and worst thing about today?' And 'what did you have for dinner?' - these will always get a response!!

When they come lut in the afternoon don't be surprised at atrocious nehaviour. They have neen reining it in all day with the school's boundarirs and expectations and once the doors open - bang! Whine, grump, angry tears.

Not all kids, but a lot. DS was Whingey McGrumpypants at 4.30, but better by the time he was home and had a banana and water in him.

He also started eating like a horse! That was a surprise. 3 years on and he is still eating like a teenager. I dread to think what he'll be like in 10 years time.

TA in Reception class here :

Can they dress/ undress themselves ?
Feed themselves with a knife and fork?

Those two are much appreciated when they start school

Tell them to ask for help if unsure.

Parents: write their name on the inside of a sweat shirt waist band in sharpie pen as well as a named collar band.

Patent leather for girls' shoes, and rubber toe caps for boys', are lowest maintenance. For girls, either dark knee length socks with skirts/pinafores, or trousers, give the best combination of warmth, ease of washing and ease of managing for the child.

Be prepared for all the work school is.

Not for the child, for you. I'd say it takes about 1.5-2 hours of my day on average every school day just having them in school and doing all the school drop offs, chats, waiting about, school admin, getting stuff ready for school, signing off on school bits, getting them from school, not to mention parents evenings shows concerts assemblies harvest festivals leavers concerts school plays school fairs (don't get me wrong I am pleased they do all these things).

I didn't know that before. I just calculated how long it would physically take me to do the school run (15 mins twice a day) and didn't think about silly things like the fact they finish late or dawdle or have to go in and fix this or get that or wait for the other so that it is invariably not 15 but 30 and then immediately on returning home it's more school stuff, letters, dinner money, notes, invitations, dates for the diary. I found it a bit overwhelming to start with.

My other tip is that you will invariably have a relationship with at least some of the adults with kids in your class for at least the next seven or so years. You will see them everywhere and your kids will be hanging out in their houses. So take notice and be nice....

My kids have never lost anything and I'm lazy with labelling so that's not a given in my experience.

Ah! Good tip about having outfits ready for World Book Day etc.

My tip would be don't expect daily updates from the teacher. Lots of nurseries are fab at passing over info at pick up but this just won't happen at school (the teacher just wouldn't have time!). No news is good news when it comes to school, which was a big change from nursery!

I would say talk to her about her teacher and any friends she might know who are starting so it all sounds more familiar on the day.

This isn't a tip as such but I have bought my dd a little uniform for her doll to match hers as a little surprise on her first day. Hopefully it will make her want to wear the uniform too!

If having school lunches get them to practise carrying a little tray with food and a drink on. They'll get lots of help with all this at first but it's something they might find daunting if they've never done it.

Get her used to what her shoes, coat, bag etc look like, it's really helpful when they've lost their coat if they can at least tell me what colour coat I'm looking for.

If your school has school book bags add a loop of pretty ribbon and/or name tape round the handle, or a small keyring then she can see it in a pile of identical bookbags. No huge keyrings, the bookbag box is a tight squeeze.

Don't cry until she can't see you and don't make a fuss just a nice breezy 'have fun, see you later'

If there's a problem talk to her teacher as soon as you can (children have short memories, if its 2/3 days later I have no chance of finding out what actually happened).

If you don't understand something ask. We can be guilty of forgetting who has older children and which parents are totally new to schools.

Bring a snack for pick up and don't make any plans for after school in the first week or so, until you see how tired your child will be.

Have some change in your handbag. 'Oh mum I need £1 today' is a phrase best saved for half way up the school drive.

If your school has parentmail use an email address you check regularly, preferably daily. check her bag for notes every day. Don't worry about returning scrunched up slightly ripped forms, we know they are like that by the time you get them.

Ooh, just saw that someone had mentioned nit combs. Yes (sorry), get one of them.

And if you want to be ready for the entire onslaught of nits, threadworms, molloscum, verrucas and all the other joys that arrive with the start of school, you might also like to pre-order a copy of Mumsnet's brand spanking new book, How To Blitz Nits (and other nasties) here.

Lots of excellent and hilarious advice straight from the Mumsnet Talk Boards that will see you safely through the primary years (or at least keep you amused while you do your Sunday night nit-raking session).

Put everything on your calendar / on your phone as soon as you get it - incl times / locations / item to take to school. Juggling kids in school and everyday life is a nightmare sometimes!!

I'm loving these tips, thanks

I am however wondering if school is really that much more exhausting than nursery? I don't understand why it would be?! School day will be shorter than nursery...

If she has a lot of different non-uniform items at home such as hats, always use the same one for school. Then if she loses her hat, she knows which one she is looking for, and the teacher may remember it too.

As everyone else has said, put her name on everything. September is usually hot enough for children to take off their jumpers and you would be surprised at how many are unlabelled on the first day.

Shrinkwrap I always find starting a new job utterly exhausting. There's a particular type of tiredness from being the rookie all day, meeting and greeting, absorbing rules & systems, trying to make the right impression, stress/adrenaline. And I'm a lot bigger than four.

Some people say their DC sailled through but mine were knackered despite being used to nursery.

That reminds me, while you're labelling school stuff, label stuff for any out of school activities - dance/gym leotards, ballet/tap shoes, football kit and shoes. it is a right pain when you are chaperoning YRs in their first dance show and you find there are only 12 identical unnamed ballet shoes between seven small ballerinas.