INDEX education Starting school
and singing songs together are also recommended, and dummies are best restricted to sleep times after a baby reaches one year old. There are many other useful
tips available to help prepare a child for school such as ‘hand- eye coordination’ exercises in which they are encouraged to touch various parts of their body including nose, lips, ears, knees and feet in order to describe how they feel; walking backwards; standing on one leg; walking along a low wall and playing simple ball games. Visual skills and perception can be honed by playing games
in which a child finds things of a certain colour; describing clouds and recognising shapes in the sky; simple colouring and tracing exercises and playing ‘Kim’s game whereby the child tries to remember all the items on a tray. Listening skills can be improved by finding rhyming words; imitating animal sounds; playing ‘I spy’ and guessing sounds whilst blindfolded. Language skills can also be improved by using guessing games, making up stories together, describing things and cutting up sequences of pictures in order to talk about what might happen first, second etc. For an imaginative parent
there is no limit to the amount of educational activities that can be found – but the games should never become a chore. If a child grows weary it means you have probably overdone the exercise – just a few minutes per day is ample time for fun without frustration. There are many practical
skills that a child should acquire before starting school too. They should be capable of undressing and dressing independently; taking themselves to the toilet; eating their lunch efficiently; opening a book and turning
pages correctly and socialising with their peers. If they do all this and even hold a pencil correctly and write their own name, they are sailing merrily ahead and will feel confident and empowered from Day One.
Top tips for starting school
1. Break in new school shoes by wearing them around the house for a week or so before term begins. 2. Choose packed lunch items at the supermarket with your child so you can be sure their lunchbox will contain healthy food they actually enjoy eating. 3. Nametapes - if it’s worth keeping, it’s worth labelling! Head teachers will recite this mantra to you over and over again. Iron- on nametapes are great value and easy to apply. For items such as bags, pencil cases, lunchboxes and plimsolls, buy a decent permanent marker pen and write it by hand. 4. Bedtime routine: if this has slipped over the long lazy summer nights, it’s worth getting it back on track before school starts. Nothing worse than having to wake sleepy kids on a school day! 5. Don’t pressure them into play dates and after school clubs straight away: there’s plenty of time to be sociable further down the line. Four- and five-year-olds year olds will be exhausted during the first term at school – some may even fall asleep in the classroom during the afternoon – so go easy on them.
Training Solutions
Forthcoming planned courses September 2011 Course Title
Start Date
Emergency First Aid at Work 13 September 1 day First Aid at Work
BIIAB Award for Personal Licence Holders
Infection Control Welcome Host
Managing People & Teams
CIEH Healthier Food & Special Diets
Understanding the Manage- ment Role
Paediatric First Aid Behaviour Management
ILM Award in First Line Man- agement
12 September 1 day
Duration Price £80
20 September 3 days £195 £110
15 September ½ day £40 19 September 1 day
£90 20 September ½ day £50 26 September 1 day £80 27 September ½ day £50
28 September 2 days £105 28 September ½ day £40
30 September 5 days £795
For further information please contact: The Training Solutions Team Tel: 01843 821580
training.solutions@
thanet.ac.uk www.thanet.ac.uk
www.indexmagazine.co.uk 41
The INDEX magazine September 2011
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