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According to research, there has been a record number of children missing school throughout the world due to the global pandemic. This will have a huge impact on children who are starting school as the process of going from nursery to school is a huge milestone in the development of every child. 
 
As a parent you want to give your child the best start to their education and ensure the process goes smoothly. There are things that you can do as a parent to make the transition a little smoother, including helping them get used to holding a pencil, listening to stories, or even sending them to somewhere like one of these preschool programs in Nottingham, MD to get them used to the idea of learning with others during the day. Below are some tips to help you prepare your child for starting school.

Talk about school

Whether you had a good time at school or not, it’s important to start talking about school in a positive way long before your child’s start date. Talk over the fun things they will be doing during the school day. You may also want to talk about the opportunities they will have such as going on residential school trips. Visit your local library to find books on starting school so your child can look through the pictures and become familiar what the things they will be doing in school.

Visit the school

While it may not be possible to visit the school during Covid-19, many schools are offering online tours of schools. It’s good to get your child familiarised with the school and classroom they will be starting. Even getting to see how the classroom is laid out will help your child feel familiar with it before starting school.

Get to know the school

As well as your child getting to know all about the school, it’s important as a parent to know the school too. This includes what parent/teacher meetings they hold, how you are going to be kept informed of your child’s progress, and what to do if you have an issue. To help you decide which school to choose, you may decide to look at the local primary league tables for your area to see how the schools are ranked and how good the average exam results are. 

Prepare a checklist

Sitting down and preparing a checklist for your child starting school will stand you in good stead. This means knowing how you are going to get your child to school, what their start and finish times are, where you can collect your child safely, what equipment you need to purchase such as PE kits and pencils, are there after-school clubs your child can attend? These are all things to jot down on your checklist that you can find out about and that will help you prepare. 

These are just a few tips to help your child if they are starting school. One thing to remember is that this will be a totally different routine for your child and the first few weeks may mean they are more tired or even more clingy than usual. Of course, as a parent, it can be a difficult time leaving your child, but they will settle into their new routine easily. Be there for your child and answer any questions they have about going to school which will put their mind at ease for the adventure they have ahead of them.

Laura x