The following information is provided to support you with preparing your child for school. It is only a recommended guide.

Parents often ask the question: ”What can we do to prepare our child for school?” We suggest you might like to practise some of the following, having your child complete them as independently as possible.

• Dress himself/herself
• Do up zippers and buttons
• Practise taking their jumper on and off
• Put on shoes and socks
• Go to the toilet and wash his/her hands, and unlock/lock the toilet door
• Knows his/her own school bag (add a personal tag)
• Knows where his/her play lunch is in the school bag
• Practise zipping up their school bag
• Knows his/her own clothes which are clearly labelled
• Be able to open and close their lunch box and drink bottle
• Be able to use a pair of scissors
• Look after belongings
• Be able to tidy up
• Listen with interest and courtesy when other people speak

Literacy at School

When children are about to begin school, it gives them a good start if they are able to:

• Recognise and write some letters of their own name
• Pay attention to repeated sounds in rhyme, jingles and stories
• Look at books together and listen to them being read
• Talk about favourite stories
• Have experience with drawing, scribbling and making marks on paper
• It is also important to spend time speaking to your child about what school will be like

Numeracy at School

When children are about to begin school, it gives them a good start if they are able to:

• Talk about their age and recognise some numbers
• Recognise the number of dots on a dice
• Name some common shapes 
• Name some common colours
• Help adults with everyday counting experiences e.g. when shopping
• Talk about the days of the week