With an exciting milestone ahead, managing your child’s behavioural patterns will be essential to their time in school and having a positive impact on their experience.
All children enter primary school at different stages of development, and this is completely normal. However, there are certain ways you can prepare at home for your child’s new primary school experience.
If your child attended nursery prior to primary school, they may already have friends that will be starting their school with them. If your child is starting primary school and has not attended nursery previously, try to arrange different activities and playdates for them to practice their social skills.
For example, setting up playdates with play groups, attending soft play areas, or setting up get-togethers with friend’s who have children can be a great way for your child to develop social skills that will benefit their school and later life experience.
Other socialising benefits include:
To explore toys to assist with social development, explore our social skill toys.
Before starting primary school, it is important for your child to understand key acceptable and unacceptable behaviour patterns at school to prevent them from having an unpleasant experience.
Primary school, like any form of education, will have zero tolerance on unacceptable behaviour, to name a few:
Ensure these behaviours are managed at home and if need be, introduce appropriate consequences. It is also important to discuss what your child is feeling as this is typically the underlying issue with negative behaviour. Helping them understand their emotions may prove to be beneficial for your child and lead them to talking more about how they feel and understand why they feel the way they do. Have a read of ‘Understanding Mood Swings in Children’ to have a deeper scope by a child expert into why children behave the way they do.
Familiarise your child with the main school rules to ease their transition. Every parent or carer with receive a booklet from the school that will include these rules, if not, be sure to ask for one.
Discussing simple rules like raising your hand, lining up quietly, and listening when others are talking set clear expectations for children to follow. You can turn these discussions into fun activities or stories to make them more engaging and keep your child entertained.
The more your child understands what is expected of them, the more confident they will feel when starting school.
A great way to prepare your child for primary school is by establishing a routine at home that mimics their daily routine. Schools operate on stern schedules, and most children thrive on predictability.
Start by setting up consistent times for waking up, eating meals, and bedtimes. Incorporate activities that will be like those in school such as, reading time, quiet time, playtime, and structures sessions such as counting, building, or painting.
This will help your child understand the concept of time management and sticking to routines while preparing them for the structured environment of primary school.
Independence is a key component for starting primary school. Encouraging your child to be independent and do small tasks on their own will always be beneficial in the long run. Things like dressing themselves, washing their hands, packing their bag, and managing their belongings such as school jumper or water bag build on their self-reliance.
These skills will not only help in the classroom but will also contribute to their sense of accomplishment and responsibility. Ensure to praise your child when you pick them up after school and they haven’t left anything in the cloakroom!
With these top tips for managing behaviour at primary school, your child will be able to make a smooth transition. From practicing social skills and interactions to figuring out a routine and establishing independence. This is an exciting time to remember, discover learning skill toys to aid you in this milestone.
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