RECEPTION! If you've been there, bought the T-shirt. Please post your single toppest tip please!

[Sycamoretreeisvile]

DD is PFB and will be starting our local state primary in September at the grand old age of 4 and 3 weeks

Please can you be kind enough post your single top tip to help me and DD negotiate this exciting and also vaguely scary time.

Anything from uniform (mind is boggling - how many fleeces, polo shirts, skirts does she need?)to whether or not to bother with school lunches (can I be bothered to make a packed lunch everyday? )

TIA

Fab posting - thank you.

Don't expect your DD to tell you all about her day as soon as she gets out of school, or even at all. If she says she did 'nothing' or is reluctant to talk, it's probably because she's just lived through it and is tired or wants to move on to the next thing. It doesn't mean that she's unhappy, or indeed that she's not doing anything.

Attach a keyring to their book bag so that they can find it in the book bag box in the classroom.

Make sure they can undress and re dress themselves into their PE kit.

School dinners are much easier for me than packed lunches.

Oh yes and abandon all after school activities till at least Oct half term as they will be too tired.

do school dinners (and ignore any moans in the first term if they say their best friend is doing packed lunches - they will make friends who eat school dinners too)

If you're doing packed lunches, have a dummy run at home to ensure that she is able to deal with things herself. Usually there are TA's availablle to help them open packets/drinks etc, but it's always good if they can do these things for themselves because it saves them having to wait/going without if someone doesn't see their hand/isn't around to help.

Don't expect her to tell you anything about what they've done at school because she probably won't remember. I tended to find that it all used to come out in the bath once he'd chilled/had snack/tea and was just relaxed.

Be prepared for tiredness, and potentially associated temper tantrums. And when they happen close your eyes, breathe and utter the words "It will pass."

Don't arrange any after school activities to begin with. Depends on your school policy tbh - ours doesn't include reception in after school activities. But tbh there are years for her to do these things, and she really will be too tired to start with.

You will meet other mothers whose reception aged children are doing after school swimming, ballet, piano, drama, french lessons.

You will feel inadequate.

Remember that their child is no better or happier than yours, just busier.

This is such great information.

Don't brag - Check
Don't worry if others brag - check
Wipe own bum/get dressed - Check already (phew)
School Dinners - Check
Labelling - Please direct me to the clip on invention that someone mentioned that means I don't have to sew!)
SCHOOL SUMMER DRESSES - Can't find any! Need blue gingham or stripey - Aged 4. M&S have just sorted me for everthing else but this - no joy online either.
Food to go home with - check, but we are less than 60 seconds from school
Don't pay much mind to no friends card - Check (DD has been at pre-school attached so already knows 5 others in her class so can't pull that one on me )
Coat hook - ok, will do

Now please, any help with sourcing this summer dress?

Matalan and Tesco usually have summer dresses in all colours.

Re: labelling clothes, even if you just write the name on with a laundry marker/ biro, it is better than not doing it at all. You would not believe the pile of unlabelled and unclaimed uniform there is at my children's school!

M&S free delivery and 3 for 2

thanks Cerys. will have a look.

Am sure I saw on a thread a while ago some new invention where you just snap a popper with a label attached and there was no sewing involved?

Snice, M&S sadly don't have any blue in aged 4

M & S still has summer dresses in most sizes online. You can use 3 for 2 offer and free delivery offer too.

They do in the cotton one on the right Sycamore-I just checked.

Ok, will go for quick squiz.

Expect tears for the entire half term. After school at pick up time, they are so tired that anything can set them off.

Bring a snack at pick up time, this sometimes helps with the tiredness/tears.

Yes, don't worry about their 'work' as such and concentrate on whether they are happy and enjoying themselves.

Just seen summer dresses in Matalan.

I use iron on name tapes. My sewing is so shoddy that the other kind would fall off within one wash !

Ok, am doing 3 for 2 - being a smart mum and getting one aged 5 for next year

What is the free delivery code please?

Ok, found it - SCHOOL09

Wow, three dresses delivered for 11.62!

Thanks for persisting with me Snice!

Couple more
Don't go steaming in if your DD says something bad happened etc. Make a gentle enquiry of the teacher as often a 4yr olds version is somewhat biased.

I asked the school to stick a note of the week's topics on the noticeboard so I could ask appropriate questions otherwise DS1 said he had done nothing all day.

Don't worry about reading etc. it will click when they're ready.

If DD is having trouble with fine motor skills i.e. holding a pencil to write then playing with lego, playdoh or cutting with scissors all help (and are fun )

DS1 is a late Aug birthday and has coped well (now finishing Yr1)

Having a ds who started reception last September, the most invaluable personal tool I have had is a week to view diary!

There are so many things to remember when your dc starts school that I would be totally at sea without it.

We have the clip-in name tapes (amongst others) - I think they came from easy2name

I have really loved having 5 of everything, clothes wise, it takes the stress out of getting ready. I put them all through the wash at the weekend and then we are ready to go again on Monday.

I have also been aware that for DS1 getting him used to school dinners the same time as getting used to school was too much, we did packed lunches (after a bad 2 weeks of him eaitng nothing!) for the first term then switched to school dinners.

Try to get an arrangement with another parent (or 2!) I have a friend over for tea one day a week but it also means that one day a week DS1 is somewhere else so I don't have to worry about the school run for a day.

Relax, they all learn to read at different rates, all learn to count at different rates and the only people who are bothered about things like this are the parents, the teachers have seen it all before

Look in the book diary EVERY day. The teachers put stuff in there about non-uniform days, trips and all sorts, and often it goes in once only.

When your child comes home and says they have noone to play with, don't automatically assume they're telling the truth and go to the teacher sobbing about your unpopular child. List other children in the class by name. "Oh, so you didn't play with Hannah then? James? Lily? After three or four they're bound to nod.

Learn how to ask probing questions. "What did you do today? Nothing? Did you paint? No? Did you do PE? No? What did the teacher read to you today? So you had a story? What was it about? What did you do in PE? Oh, you danced."

Expect her to be knackered/ extra naughty/something different for a bit - new routine, lots more learning than she's used to.
Don't join in the competition to get your child doing lots of activities in the first year. They're tired enough as it is, and there's nothing wrong with just coming home and playing or watching TV at the end of each day when you're 4 - you don't have to be rushing off to violin/ ballet/ football/ chess.

The lost property box STINKS. Get used to it. You'll be sticking your head in it looking for single gloves and one size 10 pump at the end of every half term.

Keep all school uniform in one drawer so your DD knows where to find it, and so you can keep on top of washing etc.

Buy as much school uniform as you can afford - so you don't have to panic-wash everything on Monday night after one single day at school ...

Don't compare your child to others. Don't compare your child to others. DON'T COMPARE YOUR CHILD TO OTHERS. (You will do this, but at least you can have a wry smile when you remember the advice you were given in this post )

Agree with other posters not to do any after-school activities for at least the first term but possibly the whole of the first year at school.

Nametags are well worth the money. And sewing them on is well worth the effort - even those magic laundry marker pens fade after a while.

Never, every criticise anything about the school to any other parent for at least the first term. (If you must do this, do it in private, not on school grounds, and not to a big group of parents).

It doesn't matter if you cry on the first day as you walk away from school, but do not let your DD see you doing this.

It doesn't matter if your DD cries as long as the teacher says she is OK shortly after you've left. This is hard, and may not happen, but if it does - it's normal.

Expect your DD's TV viewing / sulks / sleep problems to increase initially and try not to worry about this - again, 'tis normal.

And the final, most important top tip of all: NEVER, EVER, EVER BE LATE FOR SCHOOL. It is sooooooooo unfair on your child.

Good luck. She will be fine, and so will you.