Hey guys,

Last month we waved goodbye to nursery fees, early mornings and late evenings rushing to the nursery in a bid to spend some of our evenings with Lolo. We have officially graduated from Nursery. Yes, my baby (she will always be a baby in my eyes) is off to ‘big school’. ‘Big school’ is primary school for those of my international readers, the education journey in the UK starts at 4 years old and is called Reception. Reception is not compulsory for children and some parents may chose for their child/ren to remain in nursery for an extra and just head straight into year 1 a transition that can be very daunting.

As a first time mummy time has gone tremendously quick, I now find myself trailing through numerous websites looking at school uniform and imagining what Lolo will be like in school.

Preparing for school is something that I enjoyed growing uo, watching my mum take us into M& S to buy new uniform and her buying two sizes bigger than my actual size so that I could get a good wear out of my shirts, are some memories I cannot forget.

As Lolo starts her journey I want to encourage other parents like myself, we’ve got this. The children have got this far and will definitely get further in life with us to help them along. With that being said here are a few of my tips for school starters!

Tips for Starting School!

• Can your child write or spell their name? It’s not a must but it will be very helpful in the long run. If they can’t can they recognize their name? There are so many fun ways to recognize the different letters used in your child’s name and they will enjoy this. Nothing worse than a lost school jumper in week two.
• Can your child manage in the toilet alone? Wash their hands before and after using the loo? This will take time and effort. If you have it under control hats off to you, the toilet tribulations are never ending in this household.
• Practice using cutlery. As silly as this may sound if you have opted for school dinners (school dinners is free for children until year 2) they will need to feed themselves appropriately.
• Have a go at counting numbers 1-10 and different objects. This is just a tip not compulsory that you do this but I feel it will help with their confidence during maths sessions.

We try and read a story every night just to get Lolo into the habit of sitting and listening. Reading with your child will help widen their vocabulary and support in phonics, reading and listening.

Uniform! When it comes to uniform buy at least 2 different sizes and get in super early. Everyone wants to be ready and you need to be ready too. Get some labels! Label everything!!! Clothes go missing everyday and trust me there will be tears, to prevent the tears label label LABEL!!

Phonics is something that we may not remember learning (I surely don’t) but is something your child may frequently talk about during their time at school. Phonics is all about the different sounds words can make, these are all split up into phases from 1-6. A good idea is to find out what phonics format the school follows, and get some practice in over the holidays. I wouldn’t worry too much about handwriting just yet but a little practice here and there will be a step in the right direction.

Here are a few of the Easy Learning Workbooks that I purchased on Amazon. They are of great value and packed with different activities for Lolo to do.

I also got these amazing cards from Laura Henry Consultancy all about Starting School. These are brilliant conversation starters to have with your little one about this new and exciting journey.

I’m excited about this journey, yet nervous about the transition. I hope all things run as smoothly as they can!

I hope these hints and tips have helped you in some sort of way. You can follow me on my Instagram accounts @mummydiaries2016 & @edumama2020 for more educational bits!

**Do you have any tips about starting school? **

Please leave a comment.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

With Love,

Lolo’s Mummy.

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