Making the most of time remaining before school...

[lucysnowe]

Hi all

DD is off to school next September (!!) and I am kind of feeling maudlin already that our time at home during the week is coming to an end and want to make the most of the time left.

I need some ideas for really special things to do with her now that I might not necessarily be able to do when she's at school, now we're growing out of toddler/music groups etc. Also, is there any important stuff (practical skills, behaviour, etc) that I ought to teach her now? Eg using scissors, putting coat on, etc).

Any ideas appreciated!

No particular suggestions, but let yourself enjoy it knowing the next phase can be okay if you're anything like me. I do miss dd, now in year one, but I love the time before and after school. They don't suddenly disappear off the planet!

Enjoy it! Your DD will mostly just miss being with you I expect (DS2 is in P1 and told me that when he hears the bell at the end of the day he calls it the 'mummy bell' because he's going to see me ).

WRT to practical skills, I'd suggest getting dressed independently is a good one to master, including things like sorting out inside out clothes, doing up buttons and zips, putting on tights. Also perhaps putting lids on things - my two still come home with the sports tops of their water bottles up and water all over their bags, or the lids off their plastic pots and yogurt on the inside of the bag. Nice.

Do things like go to museums, galleries, theme parks - anything that gets ridiculously busy in the holidays or weekends. Go during the week in term time and actually enjoy the experience rather than be bombarded by crowds and having to stand in queues all the time.

The final year before ds1 went to school we got annual membership for the local zoo/adventure park and went once a week in the summer term when the weather was good and it was really quiet.

Make the most of any local attractions that will be really busy during the holidays and weekends. It really is nice to have the freedom to do that, you will miss it once they start school.

Yes to encouraging independent dressing and using the loo alone, bottom wiping, that kind of thing.

I felt like this before my pfb started nursery a couple of months ago! there are a lot of things i'd like to have done in the last few years and i can't see myself doing anything amazing in the next few months because of siblings. i already feel like we can't do much because he goes to nursery every morning so big days out aren't much of an option. i did look into thomas land's christmas opening hours and they have a special price ticket for toddlers during weekdays. i'm sure other theme parks have similar discounts and special events?

i'd love to go on one last out of term holiday. we did butlins last year just for the kids and they had so much fun, and it was nice and cheap because it was term time!

we have an option to increase nursery hours from january and as much as i know he'll love every minute of it, i really don't want to!

Thanks guys. I really want to make the most of this time and not waste it! She does go to preschool etc but we do have a couple of days a week spare.

We might have to work hard at the bottom wiping and coat inside-outing!

With my dd I made sure she could do the bottom wiping, coat putting on etc and the did it for her if she still wanted me to. Now she doesn't need/want help at all luckily. Felt fine helping at four perhaps not at six!