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TOP TIPS FOR PARENTS ON PREPARING THEIR CHILDREN FOR THEIR FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL
For thousands of parents across the UK, it’s the final countdown to their child’s first day of school. However, more than half of new school pupils are thought to be below the expected level of school-readiness and lack social skills*, so LeapFrog is helping parents get their kids ready for the classroom with the help of parenting expert, Liat Hughes Joshi, and popular parenting YouTube community, Channel Mum.
To help prepare parents emotionally for that all-important first day, LeapFrog teamed up with four Channel Mum vloggers, two of whom have children about to start school. In a dedicated series of videos, the mums discuss how they are feeling ahead of the new term starting and share their tips on getting kids school ready.
The multi award-winning educational toy brand recently unveiled its latest educational toy, LeapStart, an interactive learning system. LeapFrog and leading child development website, iChild, provided 200 primary school teachers with LeapStarts to use in classrooms over a two month research period. The device received top marks across the board, with 97 per cent recommending the device to parents to help equip their children with the skills needed to start school.
Parenting expert, Liat Hughes Joshi, also compiled a list of top tips for parents to help prepare their child ahead of their first day at school. Liat comments: “A child’s first day at school is such an emotional time for the whole family. It’s important to remember that in preparing for this day, it’s not about competitive parenting, but more about giving children the skills to make sure they can be confident and happy and ease into this new stage in their lives”.
Liat’s top tips for parents who have children starting school this year are:
- DO talk to them about the idea of school – tell them about your own positive school experiences and find out any specific concerns they have about not having mum or dad around.
- DO attend settling-in days to help them to feel more relaxed – they’ll be able to meet the teacher and experience the classroom environment. Point out things they will be able to enjoy next time they come to school, such as the playground.
- DO help them find a familiar face if your child isn’t starting school with friends from their existing nursery or preschool.
- DO arrange a meet up - ask among local friends to see who has a child starting the same school and arrange meet ups if you can, like a picnic or a visit to the local playground.
- DO teach them ‘self care’ – like undressing and dressing themselves for PE – practice this over the summer with clothing that has zips and buttons.
- DO teach them how to eat independently with cutlery, get them chopping and slicing their food as much as possible.
- DO toilet train them (again!) so they know how and when they can ask to use the toilet, how to wipe up and wash their hands properly.
- DO practice counting up to 10 in your daily activities, as this forms the core of maths learning in the first year of school and start looking at basic sums, using practical items around the house.
- DO introduce books and stories so your little one can see how letters correspond to sounds and words to sentences. Sharing stories and pointing out specific sounds is a gentle way to introduce this.
- DO teach them to recognise their name so they can find their coat peg or spot the name label on their jumper in a pile of others.
- DO see using apps as a positive to help – we all worry about too much screen time but good quality, well designed apps can be an engaging way to learn.
- DO encourage basic etiquette, namely taking turns and listening when others speak.
- DO practice sitting still! Practice for half an hour at first and introduce sedentary activities, for example, completing a jigsaw puzzle, to help with this.
- DO role play to help your child to feel comfortable approaching and talking to their teachers and to not be intimidated.
- DO take time to reassure them of any anxieties, even if you’re feeling worried yourself!
The iChild research also revealed that 91 per cent of teachers agree LeapStart supported the National Curriculum and 80 per cent would recommend the device to other teachers. Nearly three quarters (71 per cent) also noted it made a positive difference to their pupils’ attitude towards a particular subject.
Available in two models – one for preschool children aged 2-4 and one for primary school children aged 5-7 – LeapStart works with a library of 16 replayable activity books across four learning levels, that provide productive, safe and fun off-screen play. The books, each sold separately, have been designed to work with both LeapStart platforms, together teaching 50+ key skills; from the alphabet and 123’s to space science, basic coding and educational problem solving.
Sally Walker, Managing Director of LeapFrog UK, says: “Starting school can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be - there are all sorts of fun activities parents can do with their children to get them ready and, most importantly, get them excited! We’re delighted to have introduced LeapStart this summer, as it’s perfect to help children and their parents engage and enjoy many of these activities, while ensuring that both of them are as ready as they can be for that next big step in their journey of life”.
LeapStart system (RRP £34.99) as well as the 16 LeapStart Activity books (RRP £9.99 each, ages 2-7) are now available at selected UK retailers. For more information, visit: http://www.leapfrog.com/en-gb/products/leapstart