Aibu to be Confused about school readiness

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My dd starts next september, over the next year I want to make sure she is as ready as possible but cant find a clear guide of what is expected.

What are the key things?

I would focus on self care things - able to dress, toilet independently that kind of thing. Being able to ask for help is useful.

But I wouldn’t worry too much as schools will have children at all levels of rediness

This is what a lot of nurseries use and has been welcomes by schools. If your child can do all these things then they are prepared for school

Self care skills - going to the toilet independently, dressing independently, using cutlery.

Listening to adults, e.g. listening to instructions and following them, sitting to listen to stories etc

Social skills, getting on with other children, sharing etc

This is a good general one (not perfect for kids with special needs but overall pretty ease to read and understand).

Also being able to recognise their whole name, not just first name. You want your DD to be able to recognise "Jane Bbbbbbbb2017" and not just "Jane".

I had name labels with a logo on as well as the name, that they'd used from nursery.

Hi my ds started school last week.Nursery really helped prepare him for a school environment,as long as your child is toilet trained and can dress and undress they'll be fine

AS others have said

Can recognise her own name. Put on and off her shoes. Get dressed and undressed. Go to the toilet independently. Social skills (obviously these come in their own time but she'll need practise!). Can follow instructions.

Good idea to recognise the name. My DV can do all the basic stuff mentioned but I want to give them a head start. We do math and writing work books aimed at preschoolers.

You can download the EYFS curriculum to check where your child is and where they might need extra support?

DD started reception last week and, after watching her and the other children, I'd say try and encourage independence and bravery. Can they walk through a doorway into a scary new place without clinging onto your leg and crying? It makes a huge difference.

My son's just started and the teacher said the key things are toileting and being able to get dressed. The getting dressed thing is easier if you're careful about what you buy -- my son has 'Easy Dressing' uniform from M&S so it's all velcro and elastic. I got shirts slightly larger than he needs to make it easier for him to get his arms in, and velcro shoes.

Some of the kids are barely 4 when they start anyway, so the teachers expect a lot of variance.

We didn't have a clue about anything else, but we found that nursery was good preparation for things like carpet time (registration), putting hands up to answer questions, sharing and turn-taking etc.

Oh also -- if they are not able to read their name, get a stamp for their clothes with a picture next to the name bit.

I think the name one is the main one we need to work on.

Luckily/unluckily she accidently ended up with a double barrelled first name and a double barrelled surname so it is 27 letters long so should be easy to spot

Have you thought about a school nursery. My DD went last year before starting in Reception last week and it did wonders for her

The question should not be, how do I make my child school ready? But, is the school child-ready?

Self care skills such as toileting, dressing, shoes, eating independently, looking after possessions along with social skills such as taking turns and being able to listen - this is where your child would be at for a good start at a good school.

Agree with all the PPs that have mentioned personal care and things like going to the toilet independently, getting dressed / undressed, velcro shoes are a big hit ! identifying their own belongings etc.

My sons school advised they should Be able to communicate, use a knife/ fork, listen, share, follow instructions, interact with others.

My DC has just started reception and they said they should be able to count to 10, write and recognise their first name, write and identify their age, recognise other lettets of the alphabet and Hold their pencil correctly. However it was stressed that each child is different, the teacher expects that and fully understand that children learn at different times and paces. There really isn't any pressure from the teachers.

The main things I would focus on are personal, social and emotional things and health and self care

So:
Being able to go to the toilet independently including wiping own bottom, flushing toilet and washing hands.
Have a understanding of other’s feelings and being able to share even if needing support sometimes.
Getting dressed and undressed and putting shoes and socks on (some reception classes do change for PE)
Use a knife and fork appropriately and if possible willing to try new foods
Be able to sit and focus on a Short story
Follow simple instructions reliably

It would also be great if they could

Recognise their name
Write/attempt to write their name

Also, it’s worth finding out which phonics scheme your school uses and if you are helping them write, remember NOT to teach capitals except for where they should be (ie don’t teach them to write their whole name in capitals, the teacher will spend ages undoing that!).

Oh and Fine motor skills- lots of children enter reception really not ready to write, muscles in their hands need to be developed and it will be hard to hold a pen or pencil without good Fine motor skills, so some ideas for fun activities to help with this:

Play doh- squeezing/stretching/modelling
Threading- beads onto laces, pasta threading etc
Picking up small toys with toy tweezers-lots of lovey games out there for this
Using spray water bottles to water plants (where you have to squeeze the trigger)
Peg boards

When you're practicing dressing and undressing, get them to put on clothes that they have taken off themselves so they learn how to turn inside out clothes the right way round to put them back on.