TRANSITION TO SCHOOL
Home >Transition to School >Starting School
Starting School
Parenting SA – Government of South Australia
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au
Starting School
School can be a strange and scary place for beginners. Young children usually have to cope with bigger buildings, lots more children who are older and bigger and less adults for support. There are different rules to get used to and many new things that they are expected to do. The playtime breaks, especially, can be very frightening for beginners.
School days can be very tiring too, for children who are used to a rest during the day. Children may have been looking forward to school a lot and feel very let down if they don’t enjoy it as much as they hoped. Even for those who do enjoy it, starting school is stressful. Children need lots of support from you before starting school and especially in the first few weeks.
What parents can do
Is your child ready for school?
Not all children are ready to begin school at the age of five and they do not have to start school in the Northern Territory and South Australia until they are six. Some children benefit greatly from the extra year of maturity before they start school and it can help them if they start a bit later. Think about this if your child is smaller or younger than the other children or is not yet really comfortable playing with groups of children or confident without adult support. Talk it over with the kindergarten or preschool teacher if he has one.
Preparing for school
It will help your child if you prepare her as well as you can and at the same time show her that you have confidence that she will manage the new challenges. It will help if she clearly knows where school is in relation to home - if you can, walk there with your child a few times even if you normally intend to drive.
Help your child become familiar with school by visiting before (some kindergartens also arrange this), driving past often and talking about what will happen.
Some schools are open to the public after hours so you can walk through and play on the equipment when other children are not around (check with the school first).
• Show your child over the school so she knows where she will be going, where the toilets are (and try them out) and where you will pick her up.
• Prepare your child for what will happen. Make sure she has clothes that she can manage; that she can unwrap her lunch and that she knows how to ask to go to the toilet.
• Some other things you may need to prepare your child for.
- The school bell or siren and what it means.
- How to drink from a water fountain.
- Putting up a hand to ask a question.
- Read a story about a child who just started school, or tell about when you started school (as long as it has a happy ending).
- If your child is anxious about leaving you, ask her what would help, e.g. who should drop her off at school, where she wants to say goodbye, what she wants to wear and what she wants to do after school etc.
• Having some control over what happens helps with fears. You might tell her what you’ll be doing while she’s at school.
• It can help your child if they know other children starting school at the same time. Make enquiries with the school and if possible invite another child and her parent over before school starts. Some preschool and kindergartens have a number of children starting school at the same time so this makes it easier.
Once at school
Some children wet their pants in the early months at school. This can be very embarrassing for them. They need to be reassured that it
|