Tag Archives: Primary school education

Reception to year 1 transition tips

November 7, 2019 By in Kids Section Tags: , , , , , 7 Comments

The kiddies started year 1 in September and it has been a smooth transition into the new school year. They like their teachers and they are getting on  with all their classmates, which is great. I wasn’t really worried about them transitioning from reception to year 1. They are November babies, which makes them some of the oldest in the class, and I felt they were more than ready for year 1. So far so good, year 1 has been brilliant. It is a lot of work compared to reception, but the twins are quite academic, and they had some settling in sessions before the end of the summer term. So they already knew what to expect in year 1.

 

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Reception to year 1 transition tips

Here are some ways you and your child cam smoothly transition from reception to year 1 in primary school –

 

Talk about it

For me and my kids talking helps us with everything. The lines of communication are always open, and I think that helps a lot when dealing with changes likes moving from the foundation stage in reception to key stage 1 in year 1 primary school. It is normal to be a bit anxious when changes happen and us talking about it before the school year starts helped the twins go into  year 1 confident and ready.

 

Settling in sessions

The primary school the twins go to had settling in sessions for the whole school at the end of the summer term. Every child spent a few days in their new class and that helped them have a feel of what was coming in September. The kids got to meet their new teachers and got an idea of what was expected of them in their new class. Settling in sessions are great and I am thankful our school has this in place to ensure the children have a smooth transition into their new classes.

 

Get the children ready

The school has done their own part with the settling in sessions, we parents have to do ours. Getting the children ready for their new class can be done easily over the summer holidays. There’s plenty of time to have a look at what is to come in the new class year and get the children to start practising some school work. Even if this is done for a few minutes every week, it will help the child massively, especially if the move is from reception (which is pretty laid back informal education), to year 1 (which is a lot more formal and serious).

 

Play down your anxieties

It is normal for parents to be anxious about their children starting a new school year, especially year 1. Our children are forever our babies and many of them are only still 5 years old when year 1 starts. It is easy to get worried about the changes and how our children will cope with them, but we need to be careful our anxieties don’t rub off on our children. Using positive words and affirmations help. Also, being  involved with our children’s school work is super helpful. I like knowing what the twins have been up to at school and what they are learning in the class. Attending parent-teacher meetings also help me stay on top of their school work, which keep the worries away.

 

How is your child settling in the new school year? What do you think of these reception to year 1 transition tips?

Why I am not surviving the school summer holidays

July 12, 2019 By in Kids Section Tags: , , , , , , , 16 Comments

The school summer holidays are almost here and I can’t believe how quickly time has gone. I was shocked to check the school diary to discover the school will be closing in about a week. For a funny reason, I thought they were closing a few days after, but that’s not the case. The twins have had a wonderful first year at primary school. They have grown so much and have learnt a whole lot. I can’t believe how quickly they are growing. Sometimes I wish I could press pause on life; it feels like they are growing too quick! Which is why I have decided not to survive the school summer holidays. I have decided to make the most of it, treasure the 6 weeks we have together and enjoy every bit of it.

 

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Why I am not surviving the school summer holidays

Back in the day, when it came to school summer holidays, it was a mixture of excitement and dread if I am being completely honest. I mean it is a whole 6 weeks holiday and my kids are very active. They behave better when there is a routine or stuff planned. We all don’t cope well when we go days with nothing to do but sit at home, and I am sure it is the same for many other families. We leave in a little village so there isn’t much to do here. The only soft play centre we had was sadly closed down some years ago, so there aren’t really activities for the kids to do nearby, except play in a playground, park and ride bikes/scooters outside.

However, I have made up my mind to enjoy the break and not survive it. Children are only young once, and the foundation is really important. I am from the school of thought that you should only have the number of kids you can deal with physically, emotionally and financially. So if you do that, you shouldn’t be tolerating the kids, you should be enjoying them. And if you are not, why did you have them?

 

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Having the right mindset helps

I work from home which is why I initially dreaded school holidays because I am usually unable to work from home with the kids. So I end up doing all my work at night and I wake up tired and grumpy. But this time, I am doing things different. I am going to have work planned out well in advance so I don’t play catch up and get stressed out.

Children can be incredibly draining and I know all about that with my active twins, but I believe our mindset affects us parents more than their tantrums. Having a positive outlook helps and just cherishing the moments while they are still tiny and want to spend every waking moment with you is the way to go. That is how I see it and I am going to cherish very day of our summer school holiday, even if we end up doing nothing.

Until the next post, take care.

 

 

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