It’s time to prepare your child his/her next big milestone in education – getting ready primary 1!
Now that you have secured a spot in the chosen primary school, where your child will spend the next 6 years, the next thing to do is to get him/her ready ahead of this big day.
You might be anxious about your child’s transition to primary school, as it will be very different than he/she is used to in preschool.
For a smooth transition, equipping your child with the necessary skills can help to make the road ahead less bumpy.
What You Can Do to Prepare Your Child for Primary School
1. Share your first day experiences
Remember going through this same journey to primary school yourself and feeling anxious about the whole experience? You can share your experiences with your child to give him/her an idea on the things he/she can look forward to on this exciting journey.
Talk to your child about the fun in making new friends, borrowing books from the school library, buying food from the canteen, and so much more!
2. Boost your child’s confidence in social situations
Walking in to a classroom with mostly unfamiliar faces can be uncomfortable for most children. Let your child know that he/she is not alone and that the other children in the class are feeling the same way too.
You can help your child overcome his/her fear and awkwardness by teaching him/her how to make the first move and develop new friendships. You can share some suggestions on phrases or questions to break the ice.
At the same time, do remind your child that talking should be done during break times or between classes only.
3. Start off with realistic academic expectations
Now that school and lessons start to get real, you might want to know if your child is prepared for primary school, especially after attending preschools in Singapore.
While lessons in primary school will be a step ahead from what your child has gone through in preschool, the transition from K2 to P1 is not as steep as what most parents would think.
The primary school syllabus is designed to cater the different types of preschool experiences of the children, and in time, will bridge the gap between preschool and primary 1. This is especially so during the first semester.
For children who might need more help than others, you would be relieved to know that there are support programmes available in primary school to help them through this.
4. Set new routines for primary school
For most primary school children in Singapore, it may be challenging to get used to the early mornings. Despite having attended full day at preschools, they have fewer breaks and continuous lessons in primary school now. It will take some time for them to get used to such a packed timetable!
To ease your child into this new routine, you can setup a timetable with your child and go through the day’s schedule with him/her. In doing so, you can also teach your child to tell time on an analogue clock, as most primary schools would have a clock in their classrooms.
It is also a good idea to set some rules and routines once your child is back from school – for example, they should get their homework done before rest time. With this new routine, you might also have to adjust your child’s nap and sleep timing.
5. Check out the primary school’s virtual tour together
Due to the pandemic, the primary 1 orientation has shifted to an online format (e.g. Through Zoom) for parents and children.
On top of attending these virtual sessions, you can check out the school’s website and watch videos that showcase the layout of the school together with your child. Through this, you can both have a first look at the key areas such as canteen, classrooms and other dedicated rooms in the school.
Watching the virtual tour of the school can help to get your child excited about starting primary school.
6. Talk about personal responsibility
Now that your child is in primary school, he/she would need to be responsible for the tracking and upkeep of his/her belongings.
Start off by getting your children to label their belongings – be it self-designed labels of choosing name label stickers. This helps your child to keep track of his/her belongings and look out for them should they go missing.
The initial weeks of primary school can be a busy time for your child as he/she tries to get used to the new environment, so the management of his/her belongings would likely be the last thing on his/her mind.
As your child would most likely be buying food from the canteen, it is also important for him/her to have some money management skills.
Let your child have some practice using money to buy things (e.g. during your grocery runs) and guide him/her in counting and receiving the correct amount. The great thing about this is that it will boost your child’s Maths skills and foundation too!
7. Daily check-ins with your child
Fostering open communication with your child can help him/her cope better with the worries or thoughts on his/her mind about the upcoming primary school journey.
Start by getting your child to tell you about his/her day in school. Be sure to listen and comfort your child as he/she opens up about how he/she feels – this will help to assure your child that you are there to support him/her regardless of the situation.
Starting Off Right with a Good Preschool Curriculum
Preschools in Singapore offer a variety of learning approaches and curriculum framework to equip children with the basic skills ahead of their primary school journey.
With this, you will have a wide range of options when shortlisting the best preschool in Singapore for your child based on the learning approach that fits your requirements.
At Little Footprints Preschool, thematic-based learning is adopted in conjunction with the learning approaches at Primary 1, where experiential learning takes the forefront of our curriculum.
Our lessons are carefully designed to incorporate all aspects of the different subjects in a fun and exploratory manner. Learning is progressive, based on the child’s development, and this is carried through all levels from playgroup to Kindergarten 2.
Book a Tour with Us!
Let us be a part of your child’s early childhood education journey, as we prepare him/her for the transition to primary school.
We warmly welcome you to book a tour at your preferred Little Footprints Preschool centre and enquire about our academic programmes.
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