How to help your child succeed at school

Starting school is an important milestone in a child's life. Children who make a positive start to school are more liked to: feel comfortable, relaxed and valued; feel excited and motivated to learn; and have good relationships with others.

 

Children do not necessarily have to start Prep upon turning five years old. It is important to understand that parents have the option of considering not only their age, but also their social, emotional, and physical readiness. When evaluating if a child is ready for school, their age at the start of Prep should be the final factor to consider. Being socially, emotionally, and physically prepared for change is more important than a number.

 

To assist you in deciding based on readiness, here is a list of skills, signs and competencies you can look for to help your child get the best start to their education:  

• Can your child separate easily from you without crying, clinging or begging you to stay?  
• When they get to Kinder or a relatives house, can they self-initiate? Can they choose what to do and where to work and persist, without quickly moving from one activity to another? 
• Can they get up and get ready to start their day? Can they assist in dressing themselves and getting their bag? 
• When things get a little hard, if they’re working on something that isn’t going the way they planned, can they persist?  
• Can they express their feelings with someone other than you? 
• Can they manage their belongings? It’s important that they can start to remember where they took off their jacket, know where to put it and not leave it where it was dropped.  
• Have they got self-help skills? 
• Can they dress themselves, go to the toilet, put on their shoes and open their lunch box?  
• Can they sit and focus on a task?
• Can they follow a 2 or 3 step instruction, without prompting? For example, “Get a book, bring a snack and sit on the couch and we’ll read together”. 
• Can they tidy and pack away items after working in an area? At school, they’ll be expected to take some responsibility for where they’ve worked. 

Supporting your child in these areas will contribute to their mental health and wellbeing. Children who start school when they are developmentally ready are set up to succeed. 

Laura Leung

Teaching and Learning