Getting ready for school (reception)

[cake93]

Hello

Do we have a checklist of things to tick off for getting ready for reception?

Also, does anybody have any links to educational activities we can be doing over the summer holidays to support with getting school ready?

Thanks :)

Shoelaces and going to the toilet alone are big ones

Don't get shoes with laces!

Being able to do up their coats, and go to the toilet independently, a water bottle they can open eg a sports cap.

Put on and do up own coat, do up own shoes.
Recognise name when written down
Take self to loo when needed.

Changing into and out of pe kit and remembering to keep underwear on is always a good one. Putting on shoes, doing up coats, using the toilet and wiping. Educational activities are less important, the school will have a style that they teach and a 4 year old will struggle if they have learnt something a different way to then learn it a new way.

My youngest is currently at school for his last day in reception (might just be the fastest year there has ever been!). When he started they said most of what people above have said, self care is more helpful to them than knowledge & skills. So putting on coat / jumper / shoes / wellies, going to the toilet & washing hands, opening water bottle etc..

If they can recognise their name written down that's really helpful, pen control & mark making, knowledge of phonics in any way will all aid them but definitely not essential.

• Go to the toilet independently
• put on (and do up ideally) a coat
• get changed for PE
• open water bottle
• recognise their water bottle
• recognise their own name

No need for anything academic - school will have that covered but if you can get the practical stuff mastered it will make life easier for everyone! good luck. Enjoy the summer x

Like all the others have said above.

Also if they are on school dinners, carrying a tray/plate of food to a table without dropping it

I’ll add getting them used to taking care of their own belongings. Things like being able to put things in a book bag and managing their own lunch boxes or snack boxes without needing to ask an adult to open them. Also being able to turn clothes, especially sleeves on coats, from being inside out to being the right way round.

As for educational opportunities, if you’re asking then you probably have them covered. Pre reading skills are important, like being able to listen to a story, re tell it, think of a different ending, explain why they like it, guess what’s happening from the pictures, know which way up a book has to be read. A basic understanding of numbers and counting is good to have too.

Children can often write their name before stating reception but it doesn’t matter if they can’t, and it’s better for them to not know how to do it at all than to have been taught it all in capitals or with incorrect letter formation.

On DDs first day, children were asked to read their name on their coat peg. Most could. I agree with most of the above but a Dc that’s been to nursery will be reasonably well prepared educationally. Making sure they know how to care for themselves, change clothes and can eat their food is what you need to do. One homework was children changing clothes in a set time so presumably some couldn’t do it!

Coming to school with friendship skills is also important as well as the ability to take turns and wait.

I teach reception and found this year's class to be the most challenging I've ever had and put it down to the pandemic. Many of the children weren't where they usually are socially as many missed out on nursery experiences, time with friends and family and general social outings. I personally feel that even if children were able to spend time around other children, most missed out on observing adults interact as well. Modelling behaviour is so important in the early years and due to the nature of the past 2 years, us adults didn't have as many opportunities to do so.

Coats
Loo
Getting into PE kit ..Velcro trainers
Velcro shoes are much easier
Buttons on shirts etc
Putting uniform in a neat pile ..socks in shoes etc

CBeebies Time for School. (If they aren't familiar with a school setting)

As others have said personal care is key.

Academically, the school told us to ensure our DD could recognise her name and hold a pen with tripod grip before starting. Familiarity with synthetic phonics and numbers is always helpful too. Apps like Teach Your Monster which is based on the national curriculum are great for phonics and you can also watch NumberBlocks on BBC iplayer for counting and number sense.

Any things you buy them, shoes, coat, water bottle, lunchbox etc should be familiar before they start school.
If they can recognise their name and its labelled, that is great. But if they cant- just a general awareness of what their belongings look like is good. Otherwise its so much harder to get them to put their own shoes back on or collect their lunchbox from the shelf or whatever, when they have never seen it before.

Get a copy of Starting School by Janet and Allan Ahlberg to read. Possibly the best story book about school ever written.

Being able to manage their own clothing is a very useful skill. Elasticated waistbands and velcro shoes will make that much easier.

For toileting I would also add remembering to close the toilet door when they're in there, and remembering to wash and dry their hands afterwards.

Being able to recognise their name is useful, but even just recognising the first letter of it can be helpful.

If they're having packed lunches then it's always helpful if the food is in containers/wrappers that they're able to open. Staff will always help when possible but a pot of yogurt is easier to open than those frubes-style ones.

Putting on and doing up coat. Recognising own name. Being able to write it is even better. NO SHOELACES PLEASE! - Reception is not the time for learning to do shoelaces, children don’t have the dexterity yet. Often children play, undo and get distracted by their shoelaces during carpet time and teachers don’t have the time to constantly be sorting out laces. Also, undone laces cause accidents. Can you tell this is my biggest pet peeve in Reception?!
Being able to go to the toilet independently is important. Also being able to wash hands properly afterwards (esp with covid).

But also, enjoy your summer and don’t worry TOO much about prepping your child. If they have practical skills down then that’s really helpful and more than enough.

Anyone have any tips on teaching kids to put a coat on? I saw one on here a while back and now can't remember it, it isnt the flip over the head one.

• teach them to recognise their name
• label clothes!!
• get them excited for school so when they enter they are the happiest version of themselves
• make sure they try and dress themselves in the morning to give them that extra bit of independence

Oh, and try to keep any anxiety about starting Reception well and truly out of hearing of your child! Should go without saying, but I have had children arrive to school on their first day as absolute nervous wrecks, which is really sad and unfair on them.

@Winterfellismyhome
Put it on the floor in front of them, hood by their feet.
They put their arms in the sleeves and flip it over the head

Being able to follow instructions.
Not tapping adults.

The biggest influence on how successful children will be in Primary School is their self esteem. That means fill them will love and confidence as much as possible this summer!
Other things to consider are:
being able to dress and feed themselves
recognise their own belongings
be able to ask for help

I am a Primary School teacher and have three young boys so these are just some of my ideas. I do run a Reception Ready webinar on how to prepare your child and YOU for their start at school that you can find on Eventbrite or message me for details (don't think i'm allowed to post links on here!)

Hope that helps!
Most importantly, play and have lots of FUN over the summer!

As above with all the self help things.

In addition things like listening to stories being read to them, playing board games with other people, taking turns, waiting for their turn, lots of fun mark making activities (painting with water on walls/pavement outside, drawing with large chalk outside), jigsaw puzzles, threading, play dough. Being curious about the world- visiting places, looking at nature, looking at fact books.

Apart from all the clothes related suggestions, has anyone mentioned lunch boxes?

If they're taking a packed lunch, making sure they can open a bag of crisps and any other packets, open their own yoghurt, babybel etc.

Ds3 is 5 and just finished reception and it's only the last few months he's been able to successfully open crisps without them exploding everywhere. It was only when we cracked it that I kind of thought about school and he said his teacher opens everyone's crisps! It must do their heads in, I felt bad for not encouraging him to do it himself more.