Question for Foundation teachers/parents

[Lottie2017]

How can I get my daughter prepared and even ahead for the Foundation year? She can write her name and knows numbers 1-10. What should she be able to do/know that would really help to prepare her? Should she be able to read basic words?

The advice given by nursery seems a bit simple. I have an elder daughter too and I now wish I had prepared her better, so any advice would be much appreciated. I would like her to be ahead if possible to set her up well for the rest of the year.

I know there is a focus on self care, managing feelings etc, but I would like to prepare her properly for Literacy and Numeracy too.

Thank you!

O she shouldn't be able to read basic words. And I wouldn't try and teach her any reading unless you are very confident on your own phonic sounds. It can be tricky to get children to learn the pure sounds properly if they have been taught them incorrectly at home.

Just focus on ordinary things. The days of the week, counting (not just reciting numbers), recognising numbers, shapes, colours, weather etc.

You could get her to follow two step instructions. Go and put your coat away and then go upstairs and get your yellow teddy.

The Foundation year is to prepare for Literacy and Numeracy.

The EYFS is all about independence, self care, managing feelings, play skills, problem solving, social skills, and developing both receptive and expressive language.

Read plenty to her, let her climb trees, take her out and about with you. Talk about what you see. Listen to what she says. Answer questions. Expose her to music, nature. Play games that involve taking turns. Let her use different materials. Let her play on the monkey bars in the park, and the see saw (early physics). Let her cook with you. and so forth. Let her dress herself. Let her make some choices and let her understand that there are other times when she doesn't have a choice. Let he experience that she won't always win or it won't always be her turn.

Thank you so much for all the ideas. Her outdoor nursery is great at emphasising some of the things listed above. I just wanted to get some opinions on what I should be doing, as I didn't prepare my elder daughter academically other than learning to write her name and was just wondering if there was more I could have done as she isn't doing so well in school now. The Foundation stage split the children into sets at Christmas at our school so I wondered if I should have done more to prepare for that.

Yes she can count objects and has grouped objects and drawn lines to the correct numbers to show 3 teddies, 4 tractors etc. She can write her name and recognises some of the main sounds. I just wondered what more I should be doing with phonics and numbers and if other parents are doing more. I never did with my eldest daughter and just wondered if I could have done more.