Rather than simply sending your child off to school without any preparation whatsoever, it’s much better for the child (and the parents) if you spend time preparing them for the school days to come. This article is going to focus on some ways that you, as a parent, can help get your child ready and prepared to face the school years.
Why Preparation Is Important
For many Aussie kids, starting school can be a scary and intimidating life change. They go from the comfort of home into a school environment and suddenly everything they’ve ever known in life has changed. One of the biggest problems facing both children and parents is separation anxiety. Another is a child lacking self-confidence when they start their official schooling.
There are numerous ways problems can be overcome and that’s why it’s vital to prepare children for their school days well ahead of when the time comes.
Start Talking About School From a Very Early Age
The more school is mentioned and spoken about, the more familiar a child will be when it comes time to start school. They will already have a fair understanding that they’ll be expected to spend their weekdays at school, learning and playing.
If your child has older siblings that are already going to school, this can really help as well, as these brothers or sisters will be able to teach young kids what school is like from a child’s perspective.
Regularly discuss the prospect of school with your child in a positive light. Talk about what will happen when they go to school, that they’ll make loads of new friends and be involved in interesting and fun activities.
Give Kids a Grounding In Education Basics
You don’t need to establish a classroom environment in the home to teach your child the very basics in education. You can keep it fun and engaging.
For example, rather than trying to teach them basic math in an academic way, find fun ways to teach them to count, add up and subtract. You could do this with their favourite sweets or pieces of fruit, offering them a small reward every time they get an answer right.
There are also fun ways to teach kids about colours and shapes and perhaps buying some fun puzzle games for them will help to keep them more engaged and learning. There are a lot of educational toys, games and puzzles on the market today to choose from.
No matter what you do, so long as you keep it fun, kids are far more likely to remain focused and actually learn something. Young children predominantly want to have fun after all.
School Readiness Programs In Early Learning Centres
One thing you can do to ensure your child is as prepared for the school years as possible is to enrol them in a quality early learning centre near you. These centres have programs that focus on school readiness for preschoolers.
Known as a school readiness program, your child, along with other children of a similar age, will become grounded in basic education that focuses on core subjects such as math, science, English, reading and writing, computer basics and more.
School readiness programs in these facilities include both the THRASS and STEM systems, which are nationally recognised education training systems for preschoolers.
Aside from learning the basics in education, school readiness also encompasses activities to build a child’s self-confidence, improve their social skills, as well as their ability to communicate effectively with other children and their adult minders and educators.
Early learning centres are something to seriously consider.
Teach Your Child Independence
Something that’s vitally important, whether you enrol your child in an early learning centre or not, is to teach them independence.
One way you can do this is by having them take on small responsibilities around the home, such as doing chores, cleaning their room, helping out with preparing meals.
You should also organise playtime with other kids where you’re not present, so they get used to you not being around 100% of the time. This helps to avoid separation anxiety when they have to go off to school.
The Wrap
The earlier you can start preparing your young child for the school years ahead, the better it will be for the child and the parents. Enrolling your child in an early learning centre is something you’ll definitely want to consider.