School places have been offered, acceptances made, zoom induction meetings attended and some of you might have even been allowed to visit! The start dates are looming but are we ready?
My middle daughter is about to start Reception. I’ve been in Early Years for 20 years now, you would think I was ready! Even though I’ve managed hundreds of families through the transition process, it’s a different feeling when you are Mum!
Here are the key skills that we will be consolidating over the summer to ensure we are READY!
Developing Resilience
Does your child bounce back when faced with trials or failure? Having a growth mindset is key to success. Young children with a growth mindset know that if they practise, they can get better. They develop resilience as they try different strategies and learn from their mistakes.
Why not set challenges over the summer. Try learning a new skill or set a goal.
Can they carry out a plan and keep going when it gets tough? Can they adapt the plan and explore alternatives to arrive at their desired outcome? Celebrate difficulties and failures as a chance to learn and make a change!
“If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll
never come up with anything original." Ken Robinson.
Expressing Emotions
Give your child the emotional language to name and express their feelings.
Books are a great way to promote dialogue, validate your child’s feelings and help them to feel heard. Children feel a range of emotions when leaving Pre School and starting school. The Colour Monster is a great book to help untangle some of these big feelings, I'd highly recommend it.
Why not try:
reading it together and discuss what happiness is for you;
creating your own feelings jar with ribbon, pipe cleaners and wool;
making toilet roll colour monsters of you own, you could create an animation;
do 'emotional check ins' during the day; and you might want to comment on what you are seeing.
For example,
"You have a smile on your face and your eyes look sparkly. How are you feeling?"
"You’re getting flushed and your feet are stomping, I think you might be feeling frustrated. How can I help?"
Developing agility in mind and body.
Are they motivated to learn? Do they have an enquiring mind? Are they constantly asking questions? Can they problem solve or generate possibilities?
Are they physically agile? Competent at running, skipping, jumping, climbing, scrambling and balancing? Can they swing from a tree branch or jump over waves? These physical skills are great for regulating some of those big emotions our children feel. At the same time, those physical experiences help our children to develop; a strong core, shoulder stability, hand strength and finger dexterity. These physical skills are vital to help our children learn.
What skills will you be working on?
For more information and support:
Connect to my FREE Facebook group for a month of practical activities to help you prepare for a big transition.
Try an activity and share how you get on for a chance to win 3x 1 hour 1:1 coaching sessions.
Check out my products https://www.theearlyyearscoach.com/for-parents and book a free discovery call to see how we can start working together.
Get in touch Jo@TheEarlyYearsCoach.com
Coming soon Top tips for preparing for the first day.
“All children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds, and a willingness to take risks with what they think.” Ken Robinson
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