Is your child School Ready?

At Fun Farm Day Nursery, our aim in the Pre School is to get your child 'School Ready'. It is such an important milestone for every child and their parents. We will do all we can to support and celebrate this transition, ensuring your children are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

At Fun Farm Day Nursery we will do the following to help all our children be 'School Ready'

• Encouraging children to focus for longer periods of time, our circle times and group activities will help to achieve this.
• Listening to each other in group times — we help them to do this in various ways.
• Looking after their own belongings, hanging coats, etc.
• Putting on their own shoes, socks, etc.
• Managing their personal care — using the toilet, washing and drying their hands - we help them to do this with our 'Weekly challenges'
• Managing mealtimes appropriately, for example, pouring themselves a drink, setting the table, serving themselves from the main dish.
• Caring for their environment — helping to tidy resources, replacing toys in the right place, finding and choosing the resources they want.

At Fun Farm Day Nursery we believe that it is important to liaise with the school prior to children joining them and we will invite the teachers to visit the children at the nursery. We have an excellent relationship with our feeder schools and work with them throughout the transition period.

Here is some top tips to help boost your child's confidence when dealing with this big transition.

• Make an effort to talk positively to your child about school. If you tell your child “You are really going to enjoy school” then they will probably believe you.
• Talk to them about how exciting it will be to meet other children, play on the playground equipment and to be learning new things at school.
• Tell stories about what you enjoyed at school and the fun things you did.
• Do allow your child to tell you about any fears that they might have. Don't dismiss any fears - things that seem obvious or silly to an adult can seem like terrible obstacles to a young child.
• Watch out for older siblings who might want to indulge in a bit of scare mongering.

Building practical skills

In the run up to school here are some things that your child should be able to do when they start school.

• Able to fasten velcro strips on plimsolls etc, putting on a coat.
• Go to the toilet and wash hands and face.
• Eat using a knife and fork.
• Tidy away toys.
• Use a tissue.
• Respond to instructions given by an adult.
• Ask for help when necessary.

And finally....

Remember that this is a major change for your child, and sometimes they may regress and do things that you thought they had grown out of (such as throwing tantrums or bed wetting). This is a common reaction and is usually temporary. However if it does happen remember to discuss it with your child's teacher so that they can help both of you through it.

Please be rest assured Fun Farm Day Nursery will be with you and your child all the way, if you have any worries or concerns, please speak to the Pre School team, Nursery Manager and or Nursery Operations Manager, we are waiting to support you and your child.