How Can I Help My Child Succeed at School? 9 Tips for Parents
As the school holidays draw to an end, thoughts naturally turn towards getting back into a routine and preparing for the new school year.
For some children, starting school is an exciting adventure. For others, it can feel a little daunting. And sometimes it's the parents who are feeling the most apprehensive!
If your child is about to start school, there are plenty of simple things you can do at home to help make the transition from nursery to school easier.
Having spent 17 years working as a primary teacher, including many years teaching in the Early Years, I've seen first-hand how much difference a little preparation at home can make.
You don't need to start teaching your child the entire school curriculum before their first day. In fact, many of the most useful things you can do are simple everyday activities that help children become more independent and confident.
Here are nine practical tips for preparing your child for starting school and helping them get off to a positive start.
1. Encourage Your Child to Dress Themselves
One of the most useful skills your child can develop before starting school is being able to get dressed independently.
School days are busy, and a teacher may be looking after a whole class of children at once. They simply don't have time to dress every child individually.
Practise putting on and taking off their school uniform, turning clothes the right way round and putting everything back on again.
This becomes particularly useful when it is time for PE and your child needs to get changed quickly.
It may take longer when you're getting ready in the morning, but giving your child time to practise now can make school life much easier for them.
2. Label Everything!
This might sound obvious, but label everything your child takes to school!
School uniforms and belongings can look remarkably similar, particularly when there are lots of children in the same classroom.
As a teacher, I would regularly have several school jumpers left at the end of the day with no names in them.
And yes, I've even seen children sniff the jumpers to try to work out which one belonged to them by recognising their family's washing powder!
It's especially useful for school jumpers, coats, lunch boxes, water bottles, shoes and other items that can easily get mixed up.
3. Make Lunchtime as Easy as Possible
If your child is taking a packed lunch to school, practise opening and closing everything they will need to use themselves.
Can they open their lunchbox? Can they unwrap their food? Can they open their drinks bottle?
It might be worth practising at home before school starts.
And think carefully about what you put into their lunchbox. If your child struggles to open something independently, it could leave them frustrated or mean that they don't eat their lunch.
I'd also be cautious about anything particularly messy or difficult to eat.
Nobody wants to spend the evening trying to remove yoghurt from a school uniform!
4. Read Together Every Day
Reading with your child is one of the best things you can do to support their early development.
Try to read a story together every day, perhaps as part of your bedtime routine.
Don't worry about simply getting to the end of the book. Talk about the story as you go.
Ask questions such as:
- What do you think will happen next?
- Why do you think the character did that?
- How do you think they are feeling?
- What was your favourite part?
Talking about books helps develop vocabulary, listening skills, comprehension and confidence with language.
Most importantly, make reading enjoyable. A child who develops a love of books has already gained something incredibly valuable before they even begin formal reading lessons.
5. Make Everyday Maths Fun
You don't need worksheets and textbooks to help your child develop early maths skills.
You can practise counting almost anywhere – in the car, walking to the shops, climbing the stairs or while they're having a bath.
Start with small numbers and make sure your child really understands what they are counting.
It's not simply about being able to recite numbers from 1 to 20 or 1 to 100.
I've often heard parents say, “They're really good at maths. They can count to 100!”
Being able to say the numbers in order is useful, but children also need to understand what those numbers actually represent.
Can they count five toys? Can they tell you which number comes before or after another number? Can they recognise a small number of objects without counting each one?
Make maths part of everyday life and let your child develop an understanding of numbers through practical experiences.
6. Let Teachers Teach Letter Formation
It can be tempting to start teaching your child how to write before they begin school, but I'd be cautious about teaching letter formation yourself.
Teachers have specific ways of teaching children how to form letters, so it's usually best to let them introduce this when the time is right.
If your child is showing an interest in letters and writing, that's fantastic – encourage it!
However, avoid printing words entirely in capital letters for them to copy.
Children will encounter both upper- and lower-case letters when they begin learning to read and write, and using appropriate lower-case letter shapes can help avoid confusion later.
The most important thing is to encourage their interest in letters without turning it into a formal lesson.
7. Sing Nursery Rhymes Together
Never underestimate the value of singing nursery rhymes!
Nursery rhymes are fun, but they also provide valuable opportunities for children to develop their early literacy skills.
Rhyming helps children hear the sounds within words and develops their awareness of language.
Sing familiar rhymes together and encourage your child to join in with the words. You could even stop before the final word of a rhyme and see if they can complete it themselves.
And, of course, it's also a lovely opportunity to have fun and spend time together.
8. Establish a Good Bedtime Routine
Starting school can be exhausting, particularly during those first few weeks.
A good bedtime routine can help your child get the sleep they need to cope with busy school days.
Try to establish a predictable routine before school begins. This could include dinner, bath time, a quiet activity, a bedtime story and then lights out.
I've taught children in the past who had very late or inconsistent bedtimes. By the time they arrived at school in the morning, they were exhausted and emotional.
You know yourself that when you're tired, you don't function at your best. Children are exactly the same.
Getting into a good sleep routine before the first day can make the transition into school much easier.
9. Relax – Your Child Will Pick Up on Your Emotions
And finally, this one is just as important for you as it is for your child.
It's completely normal to feel nervous when your child starts school. It's a huge milestone and can feel like the beginning of a whole new chapter.
But try not to let your worries become your child's worries.
Children are incredibly good at picking up on our emotions. If you're anxious about the first day, they may start to believe that there is something to be worried about.
Instead, talk positively about school.
Tell them about all the exciting things they will get to do, the friends they might make, the stories they will hear and the things they will learn.
Be excited for them.
There may be tears – from either of you! – but remember that your child is beginning an exciting new adventure.
Preparing Your Child for School Doesn't Mean Teaching Them Everything
It's easy to feel that your child needs to be completely prepared before they start school.
They don't.
Your child's teacher will teach them how to read, write, count and develop all the other skills they need.
Your job isn't to turn your child into a school-ready expert before their first day.
Instead, focus on helping them become independent, confident, curious and happy to learn.
Practise getting dressed, opening their lunchbox, reading stories together, counting everyday objects and talking about their feelings.
And above all, enjoy this special time with your child.
Starting school is a huge milestone, but it is also the beginning of so many wonderful experiences.
They'll make friends, discover new interests, learn new things and create memories that will stay with them for years to come.
So try not to worry too much.
Be excited for them – and they'll soon be excited too!