The first time we do anything requires courage and determination which is why I so admire young children and so enjoy watching their early journey through school. Ahead of starting school encourage your child to engage in creative play. Allow them to solve some of their own problems – when they put their shoes on the wrong feet, pause and see if they can they figure that out for themselves. Provide simple choices but limit them to 2 or 3 options – I often refer to this as the ‘carrot or peas’ approach. Rather than, ‘What would you like to eat?’ which is a crazy question to ask a pre-school child, offer two alternatives. Give your child opportunities for play games which involve taking turns and sharing as well as dressing up and role play. Encourage the use of full sentences when talking to your child. Avoid comments like,’ Mummy wants you to come over and help,’ and start to use, ‘Please can you come and help me,’ and ‘thank you.’ Milestone Moments The first day of school is a major event but don’t overplay this. You will have spent considerable time and effort choosing the right school, trust your instincts and remain calm and positive. As the first term establish a good rapport with your child’s teacher and encourage their early reading and writing at home as advised by the school. Ask what happens in the book that they are reading and help with extending their vocabulary to include words such as ‘first, second, finally.’ Don’t be scared to use the correct vocabulary – if your child can recite Hickory Dickory Dock they can learn the correct vocabulary and should be moving away from pet names for things. By the end of the first year your child will be attached to their teacher and the school will prepare them for moving on to a new class with new pupils arriving too which can change the dynamic amongst the class. Each of these tittle steps are in fact giant leaps. Here at St Catherine’s we aim to capture the magic as it happens and share it with you when we can. We ask the children to give everything a try and to step out of their comfort zone with as much confidence as possible. Learning at this age must be fun and curiosity must be fostered. Enjoy the milestone moments – they are to be cherished. Naomi Bartholomew Headmistress St Catherine’s Prep School Bramley, Surrey www.stcatherines.info Raring2go! EDUCATION 34
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