
Starting School: Enrolling and Preparing Your Child
Enrolling At School
Enrolling your child can be as easy as contacting the school of your choice and filling in the relevant forms. Or it could involve putting your child’s name down at a private school from shortly after birth.
Preparing Your Child For Starting School
Starting school can be a big change for your child – and a big change in your family life too. Although it’s an exciting time, it’s normal to feel a little worried or just sad about it. Keeping your worries to yourself and letting your child know that you think he’ll go well at school helps your child feel positive too.
Here are tips to help your child feel ready for starting school.
Getting Familiar With School
- If your child is at a preschool that runs a school transition program, try to make sure your child is at preschool on the days the children visit ‘big school’. If your child isn’t at preschool, visit the school yourselves. This helps your child get familiar with the grounds, the classroom, the toilets, the bubblers, the noise of the big kids and so on.
- Meet your child’s teacher together and give your child an idea of how many children will be in the class. Let your child know that teachers are there to help, and she can ask for help any time.
- Explain the basic school rules, such as putting up your hand, asking before going to the toilet, listening quietly when you need to, and doing what the teacher asks.
- Show your child where the after school care facilities are, if you’re using them.
Practical Preparations At Home
- Get your child to try on the uniform and shoes before the first day, just to make sure everything fits.
- Make sure your child has all the extras – bag, hat, art smock, library bag and so on.
- Have a practice run with the lunch box to make sure your child can take off the lid (perhaps before buying the box).
Feelings
- Try to organise play dates with other children before the first day of school. It’ll help if your child knows another child from class before school starts.
- Give your child lots of love and support. Be excited and enthusiastic about your child starting school. This sends your child the positive message that school is exciting and that he’ll cope and have fun.
- Think about how you’ll manage your feelings on the first day. Even if you’re feeling sad or worried, it can help to keep these feelings from your child. Instead, try to see your child off with a happy, confident goodbye.
- Sometimes it’s helpful to talk to other parents about how you’re feeling. Other parents might also have helpful tips for preparing and starting school. You can connect with other parents in our online forum for parents of school- age children.
Starting School: The Early Weeks
Your child is likely to need a lot of support when school starts. There are some simple things you can do to help these first few weeks go smoothly:
- Try to drop off your child at school before the bell goes in the morning. Also pick your child up on time. If you’re late it could make your child feel very anxious.
- Consider limiting after-school activities like swimming lessons for the first term, and stick to a bedtime routine if you can. Your child is likely to be very tired after school for the first few weeks.
- Try to make after-school time a bit special, with a snack and time for the two of you to chat.
- Be patient if your child wants to blurt out every little detail about school, or clams up completely. Try to respect your child’s response to this new experience.
- Don’t expect too much too soon. If your child is happy and seems to be enjoying school, that’s a real achievement. The rest will come later.
- When you feel your child is coping all right with after-school tiredness, think about setting up a play date with one of her new classmates. This helps to strengthen the links between school and home.
If your child doesn’t seem to be settling well, or reports teasing or bullying, speak to your child’s classroom teacher.