INDEX education Starting
Starting school is one of life’s key events. Caroline Knight offers some tips to help parents prepare their children for the Big Day
STARTING SCHOOL poses a paradox for many parents. The event evokes conflicting emotions, representing both the end of an era and the exciting launch of a small person into a wide world of opportunity. Of course it is the latter message that children need to absorb, even though parents might secretly harbour an
overwhelming desire to hold back the march of time. The greatest gift you can offer your child, however, is to send him or her off to school with a flourish rather than a flounder – because of course it is you that he or she will attempt to emulate. Currently, all children must receive a suitable full-time education between the ages of five to 16. September starters
are now commonplace, as increasingly fewer schools encourage a later January intake. It means that some children will be a mere day or two over the age of four when they commence school – which many people feel is far too young, while others insist that early schooling generates greater intellect. Whatever your own personal thoughts on the subject, there is no doubt that preparation at home can be immensely beneficial – and it’s never too early to provide informal teachings that will last a lifetime.
According to Early Language Consultants, speech, language and communication skills provide a vital key to success and Every Child a Talker (ECAT) is a national project that aims to support this ideal. Research has
school
Cutting the ties – leaving behind pre- school needs can feel like a challenge
discovered that children who speak confidently are able to become efficient learners and they are likely to achieve more highly than those with communication difficulties. Those with temporary difficulties are, however, able to catch up, providing they receive encouragement and support. A paper entitled The Cost to the Nation of Children’s Poor Communication, produced by the charity, I Can, which exists to help children with
communication issues, suggests simple exercises to help babies
Claremont Primary enjoy a day trip to Hastings
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and small children to adopt healthy talking habits, such as the practice of repeating your child’s sounds, talking to them from birth onwards and playing with them ‘face to face’ for a few minutes every day. As you might expect, sharing a book and singing together are also recommended, with dummies best restricted to sleep times after a baby reaches a 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 a
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The INDEX magazine september 2011
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