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Lucy has kindly agreed to an interview with Head of the Hive, and answer our questions relating to preparations for your pre-schooler's journey into reception. These include readiness expectations of your four-year-old on life, social, literacy and numeracy skills; tips on building your child's confidence and resilience; and how, as parents, we can encourage and nurture a love of learning.
What readiness would you expect for a child entering reception with regards to life, social, literacy and numeracy skills?
By the time a child leaves us at Nursery for Reception I would expect the majority of children to demonstrate some sense of independence. This would include being able to take off and put on both their coat and shoes (Velcro) and be able to zip up their coat. I would also expect them to take care of their toileting needs independently and wash their hands.
Socially we would be working towards the children having an understanding of turn taking and how to share toys with others, and encourage them to say please and thank you for things. By the time children enter Reception I would expect the majority of children to be engaging in some play with others, for some this would mean collaborating in imaginative play together and for others this would be in the form of following another child’s lead in play and responding to what they are doing. However, if your child is more independent in their play and prefers playing alongside others at this juncture that’s fine too.
In order to help foster your child’s ability to socialise with others, I always recommend to parents to set up play dates outside of school, see if you’re able to find out about any other families nearby that will be starting in Reception with your child and organise a few get-togethers beforehand. This will also help your child to settle when they first start at their new school.
Communication and language is also a key part to school readiness. It would be my hope that the majority of children are able to follow a simple instruction and answer some simple questions. A big part of my job is playing alongside children and modelling language for children, whether it’s the language of turn taking or imaginative language in play, so I recommend taking some time to do this with your child.
One of the best things parents can do in preparation for Reception is to sing lots of nursery rhymes and action songs with your child and read a wide range of books. Also, revisit favourite stories multiple times as this will allow your child to join in with certain repeating refrains and give them a sense of independence when ‘reading’.
Please, please don’t worry about introducing phonics to your child at this stage! Your child will start this in Reception and each school will have a particular program that they follow. Most children are not yet ready for reading before Reception. However, having said that you can engage in pre-phonic games to help your child tune into different sounds, such as exploring instruments, reading rhyming books, going for listening walks in your local area; this will all help to prepare your child for reading!
What can a parent do at home to prepare their child from a literacy and numeracy perspective?
Mark making should be a fun experience and it’s important that children have a sense of marks carrying meaning. This could be in the form of making a card for your favourite teddy bear’s birthday, receiving a letter from their favourite book or tv character/fairy/ favourite toy etc and ‘writing’ a reply to them. Then when they have finished, praise them for whatever marks they have made and ask them what it is they have written.
When it comes to number and shape, I would expect there to be a real range of abilities. Some children will be reciting and or recognising numbers to 10, some will be able to match number to quantity and some will be able to complete short number problems. Wherever your child is on this scale is absolutely fine and age appropriate.
When engaging with your child in these sorts of activities, the key is to make it fun! Whenever you’re out and about point out shapes you see, notice door numbers, bus numbers, count number of steps to the post box, how many blue cars can we see etc. Or perhaps when you’re at home, how many balled up pairs of socks can you throw into the washing basket etc. I also recommend singing lots of number rhymes and engaging with stories linked to number, such as 10 Little Dinosaurs.
Is there any expectation on a child to be able to write their name before reception? If so, do you recommend any resources to help parents?
By the time a child starts in Reception I would expect the majority of children to be recognising their name and be able to make some attempts at writing it. However, children at this age can have a broad range of skill with their pen control. So, I would recommend doing lots of fine motor activities such as playing with play dough, threading, water play (filling and pouring) etc. This will help to strengthen your child’s fine motor muscles and develop their hand eye coordination in preparation for writing.
If your child is demonstrating good pen control, then I would suggest writing their name using dots for them to trace over, explore painting their name or using brushes and water outside on the pavement as larger scale movements will be easier for your child to make.
My top tip however, is to praise your child for whatever attempt they make to help build their confidence.
Children mark making
Do you have any tips on building confidence and resilience in little ones?
Always encourage your child to try new things and challenge themselves, but just be sure to show them how to do it the first few times. Model how it’s done and then always remember to praise them for their attempts. When you praise them, be sure to praise for the level of effort and progress rather than just the end achievement.
Also allow your child to know that it’s okay if we don’t get something first time and sometimes things take practise, you can even give them an example of something that you found tricky and had to work on to get better at.
I would also recommend giving your child the odd small responsibility around the house, such as laying the table for tea, helping to wash the dishes etc. All of these things will give your child confidence that you have trusted them with an important job and a good feeling that they have helped others.
For when the time gets closer are there any tips you can recommend to help calm their nerves about starting school?
As I’ve previously mentioned, see if it’s possible to organise some playdates with other children who will be starting at the same school in the summer holidays. I would suggest looking at the school’s website and seeing if they have some photos of the school/teachers etc. Look at these with your child and talk about who their teacher will be etc.
It’s really important you talk positively about your child’s new school, discuss the fun toys there might be there and talk about their new school uniform with them.
Are there any books that you can recommend for parents to read to their children before they start reception?
Any stories linked to starting school are always good preparation for helping children to settle and give them a sense of what to expect. One that I have often used is the ‘Usborne First Experiences – Going to School’ but there are a huge number out there to choose from which are just as good.
We start school in the UK much earlier than other European countries and our children are measured against formal testing standards from such a young age. What can parents do to help a child focus on their sense of self and encourage a healthy attitude towards learning, rather than achieving external goals (that are not age appropriate) and having to deal with the associated pressures?
The early years is a very special time and children have a natural curiosity about the world around them. I believe that the best thing we can do as adults is to help nurture this curiosity and instil a love of learning and a sense that it can be great fun.
The early years is all about learning through play and I believe it’s really important to remember that! Discover what your child’s interests are and run with it. It might be that your child loves the story The Gingerbread Man, so make gingerbread biscuits with your child and allow them to help weigh out the ingredients/ stir the mixture/roll out the dough, act out the story using their toys, draw pictures of their favourite character. If your child loves nature, go on a minibeast hunt, do tree rubbings, make a bug hotel together.
In other words, learning does not need to involve sitting down at a table, it should be at this stage a totally immersive experience where children are learning through trial and error and enjoying the process rather than necessarily the end goal.
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