what skills are needed for reception?

[schroedingersdodo]

DS1 will star reception next year, so we still have some time. I wonder he will need to do most things by himself, unlike at nursery or at home. Things like:

• going to toilet and cleaning himself afterwards
• dressing and undressing / tying shoelaces
• eating by himself (he does it at nursery)

What else? I can't think of anything else. Pay for food? Cut his own food with a knife? I guess that would be a bit advanced... :)

Coat on and off, buttons too

Sitting and listening

Opening lunch box, finangling tops off yog pots (top tip, dinnae bother with yoghurts)

That's about it, really.

Recognise own name/label.
Change in and out of shoes/PE kit and remember where he out things he's taken off.
Hang up a coat.
Blow own nose and throw away tissue.

I don't send yoghurts. I work on the principle that some foods are easier to be left at home! I do lunches in tupperware pots with the flip up lids on the sides so that they can be opened easily and I tend to unwrap everything and put it in a pot. I did send in those squeezy fruit/yoghurt tubes but apparently they often needed cutting open so I stopped that.

I don't think many schools expect them to pay in cash, perhaps dinner tickets or names on a list (most schools don't give children drawers or pockets so they would struggle to make them carry money or tickets)

knife and fork for hot dinners yes although I think most schools would have helpers to help cut up meat for the younger ones but on the whole they prefer them to get on with it themselves I think.

Shoes - generally they have velcro on them, there aren't many reception kids who can tie a bow so unless he is really confident with it I would go with velcro shoes.

definitely listening, sitting quietly, learning to put hand up and wait to be allowed to speak, taking turns, sharing, toileting, dressing (especially buttons and zips - worth practicing these). Identifying name on things (worth showing him where you put his nametapes and try to be consistent with where they are so he can easily know where to look for his name), wiping nose (many prefer their sleeve to a tissue but...), tidying up
think that is most of it.

One of the things on the list we were given when DS1 went into Reception was "knowing what you want and how to ask for it".

Thanks a lot! I haven't thought that he will need to deal with tupperwares, lids and things like that. Or find his clothes among others. So it seems now I have a list of things to work on (and hopefully lots of time for ds to master these)

Re sitting and listening, for how long is he expected to be quiet for? I think that's a lot to ask from children so young...

Horry, sorry but I laughed at this item! I think that's the ultimate skill in life and takes awhole life to master! Most adults I know can't do either ;)

another thing like the tupperware is to make sure whatever drink bottle you get him for the classroom (I think most schools ask for a clear water bottle) he knows how to open it and it isn't too stiff. All of them seem different twisting/pulling etc and when new they can be too hard for the kids, I always have to sit and twiddle them around quite a few times before they use them or they can't do them themselves.

Yes I thought so too but I think it is a good idea really - my 2yo very often can't work out what he wants but a 4yo who can't is going to be very out of his depth.

Having the confidence to say, for example, that you need the loo rather than waiting to be told to go is very important. Some toilet-trained 4yos are good at weeing to order but not so great at thinking "hmm, my bladder feels full, where's the loo?".

Hi Shroedingersdodo:

I wouldn't worry too much about classroom skills (listening, sharing, etc...) if your DS has already been to nursery or playgroups he will have many of these skills. If this is his first time in an organised environment with lots of other children - he'll develop these skills quickly and the staff will work with him to do so.

Recognising his things is improtant - but you can help there. Get name labels (if he can recognise his name) or some labels have pictures too. For book bags, stores like H&M do patches (or you can buy patches on your travels - often a cheap tourist item to purchase) and sew or iron on to school bags to make distinct. A friend used bright patterned material and cut out letters for her DD's name and cross stitched them on to the bag. They're huge, but she never loses her bag or confuses it with others. [But do accept that he will lose a fair number of items over Year R - they just do get mixed up with other children's - i.e. after changing for PE, etc... Our policy was to wash & return strange items - DDs often came home in other people's socks & hope other parents would do the same.].

Don't let him bring or wear anything super precious to school - odds are it will get broken or lost and that will only make him very upset. So really talk through whether it is sensible to bring his go to sleep teddy (you know the one he can't sleep without) to the teddy bears picnic (I say this because one DC threw a little girls favourite dolly over a school fence and it couldnt' be retrieved. She was wound up for weeks about not being able to sleep without it, really upsetting her parents).

If you're worried about him managing his own lunch consider going hot meals at first. They're usually as cost effective (ca. £2 a day) and mean he has a much wider choice & you're not rushed in the mornings (or having to do it the night before). For those taking hot lunches there are dinner ladies assigned for each class and they help with things like this.

I think the most important thing is to make sure he knows to ask if he urgently needs the loo. He needs to understand that it is o.k. to interrupt. A lot of accidents in Year R early on were because children were frightened to interrupt.

HTH

That's all so helpful, thanks! I think I'll print thos thread and hang on the wall :)

I never thought knowing when to go to the loo was such a difficult skill! We started potty training very late (after 3yo) and I thought in a few weeks I would n't have to take him to toilet anymore. Ha!

Love the idea of the big letters on the bag! And wouldn't dream of letting him taking special toys to school ;)