Helping to Ensure a Smooth Transition from Nursery to School

For our Pre-Schoolers, our main focus is the transition to school; what this looks like, how the children are feeling, how to express these emotions etc. We have therefore put together some more ideas and suggestions of things that you can do at home to further support your child for the transition to school.

Talk to your child about starting school

• Ask questions: How are they feeling? What are they most excited about? Are they concerned about anything?
• Perhaps share some of your experiences of going to school. What were your favourite things? If you have any old photos of your school, show them to your child.
• If you have any books at home about starting school (e.g. Starting School by Allan and Janet Ahlberg) read these together and discuss them as you go along. What do you think about this? How does this make you feel?
• If you are able to physically visit the school, even from outside the school gates, this will help children imagine their first day.
• Also take a look at your child’s school website, social media or prospectus. If your child has an interest, look at different sections of the website to show them what opportunities they can look forward to.
• If you already have a child at the school, they may be familiar with the surroundings already. Perhaps they can speak to their younger sibling about their experiences so far or their favourite parts of school.

Be positive

Remember, your child easily picks up on your emotions. Ensure that you are always positive when talking about school. If you are positive and enthusiastic, then your child will feel the same way too. So, keep calm, try to relax and smile – it is natural to feel a little nervous – but hopefully this can be overshadowed by your excitement!

Show children their new school uniform

Where possible, order it and let your child try it on! Your child will enjoy trying on their smart new uniform.

They can practise getting dressed and undressed; and you can teach them tricks for getting dressed, such as having the labels at the back, rolling up tights and holding cuffs to avoid sleeves riding up.

If you already have their uniform, why not take a picture of them in it and stick it on the fridge so that they can start to picture themselves at school?

Arrange a video call or play date

If you already know some other children from nursery that will be starting at the same school as your child, you could organise a video call play date or where possible, an in-person play date. Either way, children will enjoy seeing their friends and developing friendships with those that will be going to the same school as they are.

It’s also helpful for parents to be able to chat to other parents about their own feelings and concerns, who may be feeling the same.

Try to start getting into a routine

Getting out the house and getting anywhere on time with a small child in tow can be a challenge! It has been shown that children who arrive at school flustered, struggle to settle for the rest of the day. So, try preparing new routines by getting up and going to bed at certain times, getting dressed and having meals a certain times. Children adapt quickly but having a familiar routine will support the transition process.

Preparing for the new chapter ahead!

It is important to just to remain calm, positive and excited about the new chapter ahead. We are here to support you and your family in every way we can. We will be continuing to support all of the children at nursery with the transition to school until they are ready to leave, so that they are ready and excited about their ‘big school’ journey.