Teachers of MN: What does my child need to know before starting school?

[DefiantRabbit9]

I'm 5 months pregnant with my first and like most I'll be dragged kicking and screaming back to work after 9 months.

I've been watching videos on baby development and how to teach them to read, frustratingly most of these videos are geared towards SAHMs. I'm aiming to teach my child basics of reading, mathematics and how to use the toilet before school starts at 2 but what are the absolute musts to maximise my child's start in life and also make teachers lives easier.

Op sorry I may be misunderstanding but are you looking to teach them some of this before 2?

How to undress and dress themselves after PE. How to put things away. How to listen and sit still. How to do things like grip a pencil correctly and how to catch a ball.

Where are you? In England children start school the term after they turn 4 or school nursery the term after they turn 3.

Different countries will have different expectations.

School doesn’t start at two. What do you mean? You don’t have to teach them any basics about reading or maths at all. They need to be completely toilet trained, though.

I don’t think you should aim to teach your child to read before 2. I think that’s a lot of pressure on your toddler.
between 2-3 is a good time to potty train

Sing your child nursery rhymes. Talk to him or her. Encourage risky play ie going up slides, let him or her fall over. Reward effort. Encourage listening and praise cooperation.

By 2?

How to drink from a cup, and how to tip it on the floor sometimes just to enjoy the splash. How to put on their shoes, or in fact to hide them somewhere they won’t be found until they no longer fits. Basic fine motor skills like how to drop daddy’s keys down the toilet or post mummy’s credit card into the dvd player.

Ideally you should also ensure gross motor skills are developed - how to jump correctly to throughly soak themselves in mud/water in deep puddles, how to climb up high enough on a piece of playground equipment that they are stuck and cannot get down without an adult assisting. Being able to run away fast enough to give mama a heart attack is really de rigueur at this age, too, especially if you want to get them in training for competitive sports asap.

Communication skills are also important - make sure they can ask you for a banana and then explain exactly how you have served it incorrectly.

Yes, my LA website said education starts at 2

Your a long way off if you are in uk but by the time your child starts their reception year they should be able to -

get a coat on and off
get dressed/ undressed with minimal help
understand basic instructions
toilet independently
ask for help
sit at a table
eat independently
sit and listen
follow commands

You don't need to worry about teaching your child to read or do maths before they are two! The serious business of teaching children to read and work with numbers is done when children start school - in the UK, the September after they're four.

Reading regularly from when they're born so they are used to books and starting to recognise letters is all parents need to do (although it seems plenty don't). Also before two, you can start playing with numbers - counting to 10, using low numbers when you are talking to them about every day things. Unless you opt for elimination communication, where you hold the baby over a tophat potty from birth, few children are ready to be potty trained until they are two and a few months. It looks as though you are looking at some very misleading videos!

It must be a typo. It doesn't start at two. Are y ou able to divulge which LA you are in?

Do some proper reading on child development like NHS backed or similar. You could look at the milestones for the 2 year check etc but you don’t sound like you know much about children at the moment so I’d keep info factual and simple at first.

I think you’re misreading the LA info as being related to 2 year old funding perhaps although I think that’s outdated now.

Early Years Teacher here, how fabulous that you have such high aspirations for your first child! Congratulations on the pregnancy. Your baby sounds so loved already.

I am sure you are aware there are so many steps between 5 months gestation and learning to read. Reading is a higher order skill. The greatest preparation for learning to read is being a good communicator. Encouraging a vast vocabulary by sharing in your child’s exploration of the world, reading and singing to your child daily and taking part in “ping pong” conversations with them (and teaching the art of conversation!)

Maths is all around us. Even by 6 months your baby will be noticing 1, 2 and “more”. The best way to build mathematical awareness is by talking about it and drawing baby’s attention to the very basic concepts they are processing. Verbalising it succinctly to help your child make sense of what they know. I encounter a lot of children who have been coached to count to 100, but can’t reason simple things like, “I have 5 cars. You moved that one to the end of the line but you didn’t add or take away, so there are still 5.”

Toilet training wise, cloth nappies have worked for our family to encourage early toilet training as babies are more aware of what’s going on as the feeling is not being wicked away. Elimination communication can also be started from birth (though I start from sitting up). Other parents have great success with the similar Montessori toilet training method.

I would also like to state that along with communicating (as a precursor to reading and maths) your child’s physicality should not be overlooked. Basic things like crossing the midline to support coordination and engaging the vestibular system to support regulation do SO MUCH for ensuring children are ready for school.

However, do not put too much pressure on yourself. This is a surefire way to create an unhappy home. Instead enjoy exploring the world with your child. TALK TO THEM.

That is formal education. Before increased recent free childcare people in lower demographics were offered free 30 hours education which was for early socialisation skills.

So when they say early education it's more focused on social skills rather than academia.

Perfect 👏

Yes, school nursery will start teaching phonics and basic maths from 3.

Before they start school nursery they wanted them to be able to use the toilet, share toys, put on a coat and ask for help.