Preparing for primary school.

splishsplash

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

Do people generally change their dinner time to cater for ravenous kids coming home at 3.30, or do you provide a snack and have dinner at the usual time? We usually eat about 5.30pm.

Lovely idea about having friends round. The thing I'm most worried about is making sure I'm organised. PE kit on the right day, pack-up made at night, uniform clean and ironed in plenty of time etc. SO different to play clothes being thrown on and just going out when we decide to.

It was a matter of pushing it back for us - we normally have dinner at 1pm where possible, as we tend to be most active or out in the afternoons or early evenings. If you normally eat at 5.30, then you'll be able to carry on with your normal routine easily. I just couldn't have done homework, fresh air and exercise and then faced into dinner prep... it would've been 8 or 9pm before we had anything to eat!

Nenen

I'm a teacher and would second much of what has already been said, especially regarding Letterland now being discontinued in most schools and Jolly Phonics being popular (although not universal) with many JP resources available in ELC. I'd wait and see what kind of books etc get sent home.

I would also agree with how useful it is for your LO to be able to get himself changed for PE, although obviously teachers will help very happily with an odd stiff button etc if he needs it, it makes it much easier for everyone if he is fairly independent at dressing and undressing. You could have a 'trial run' this week suggesting he tries getting all his things on and off himself so you can see if there's anything he might need to practise or you could adjust to help him. For example. if he has to wear buttoned shirts make sure you wash them a couple of times to soften the button holes and make them easier to do.

The other big help is if he is able to manage going to the toilet by himself.... I can't tell you how many little boys I've had call to me from the loo asking me to wipe their bottom (not yet had a girl ask LOL ) !

Don't worry of he doesn't seem very vociferous about his day! Many children don't like to talk to much about what they've done at school... they've done it and it's over as far as they're concerned. Rather than ask for a blow-by-blow account of their day (asking 'what did you do today?' can seem overwhelming to a LO and they assume you want a detailed account that they can't actually remember) you might prefer to ask something like 'What was the best thng you did today?' This gives a very positive message, is more manageable for him and will give you some insight into what he's actually enjoying. Try not to follow up with 'what didn't you like?' though! He'll soon tell you if there's nothing he enjoys and it's better to give positive messages unless you have reason to believe something is wrong. You can make it a little memory game so you at the end of the week you might say 'on Monday you liked playing with the cars, on Tuesday you liked making lego models, on Wednesday you liked .... etc etc which shows him you have valued and listened to what he's told you without him sensing you are anxious about what he's been doing.

Check if the school let children bring a snack for the first break separate from their packed lunch and if so what the rules are (some schools only allow healthy snacks).

Finally, try not to worry... teachers want children to enjoy their schooling and will do their best to sort out anything you might have forgotten!

Gingham_Ribbon

mrcow wrote: »

Why don't you let him pick his own lunchbox? It's a fun part of starting school.

He'll deceide himself whether he likes the look of the characters. Disney have really cool lunch boxes with Cars etc - he's a four year old so he's heard of those?

I certainly wouldn't be getting him a desk etc :eek: He's not going to be writing essays for homework just yet. It's far more likely that he'll be bringing books home to read and/or spellings to it with you to do. Homework is supposed to be fun (if you get any at all) making it formal and having to sit up a desk on your own to do it sounds like a fast track way of taking any fun out of it in one foul swoop.

I've just asked him what lunchbox he'd like and he wants my husband's Beatles one. It's metal though and probably not suitable. He's never heard of 'Cars'. We have looked in the shops and he's not interested in any we've seen so far. (Not sure why you thought I was deciding for him.

We have already ordered the desk. I'm not sure why you thought he'd have to sit at it on his own? He can read already (not fluently, but manages sentences with relative ease) and we like to snuggle on the sofa or in bed to do that, but I thought it would be nice for him to have a space of his own for if he's asked to draw a picture for homework. I don't want to have to break him off from it because I want to set the table for dinner. Doesn't sound like a foul swoop to me.

Becles

Mine had a desk from an early age. It's nice to have a quiet, tidy place to do homework, and the smaller sized furniture puts them in a better writing position than kneeling on dining chairs to use the dining table, or resting on their knees on the sofa.

Just another thought - they are supposed to get a free piece of fruit or veg everyday in the infant school years. Check with school as ours gave them their fruit/veg at morning break time, so they didn't need a snack then. They also get a free carton of milk until their 5th birthday, then you could pay if you wanted to continue the milk after their birthday.

pandas66

Don't forget his laptop and mobby GRrrrrrrr

Gingham_Ribbon

pandas66 wrote: »

Don't forget his laptop and mobby GRrrrrrrr

:eek: :eek: :rotfl:

I'm fussing aren't I. I just don't want to forget anything obvious.

I know he's going to be just like I was. He'll run in and not even look back. :j

Gingham_Ribbon

Becles wrote: »

Mine had a desk from an early age. It's nice to have a quiet, tidy place to do homework, and the smaller sized furniture puts them in a better writing position than kneeling on dining chairs to use the dining table, or resting on their knees on the sofa.

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. Also, he's messy, like me, and I thought it would be useful if he got used to only doing homework in one particular space and keeping all his school equipment there too. It's less likely to get lost among the rest of the books, toys etc (or crumpled up by his little brother!)

pandas66

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

:eek: :eek: :rotfl:

I'm fussing aren't I. I just don't want to forget anything obvious.

I know he's going to be just like I was. He'll run in and not even look back. :j

Your allowed to fuss its a big day.............and remember to tell him its everyday in the week:T
What kind of shoes will he be wearing? Can he put them on himself?
Can he dress himself in his uniform?
I do remember a 100 years ago when elder cub went into reception and when he did PE I asked how he got on. he told me they got changed, ran round the play ground once and went back in! It took them so long to get into the gear at 1st thats all they had time for before starting the getting changed palaver again!:T

:rotfl::rotfl: the poor reception teacher doing all those ties and shoes up!

Gingham_Ribbon

LOLOL!:rotfl:

Yes, he can dress himself and his shoes and plimsols are both velcro. I think the only problem will be his tendency to put his clothes on back to front.

I need to get him now plimsols though. He was a 12 at the start of the summer and he's a 13 now. (He's been pinching my socks. :eek: )

Becles

I've been a parent helper in school. Girls are worse - imagine sticking your hand down a dozen pairs of sweaty girls tights to turn them back the right way round - YUK! :rotfl:

Buy a laundry marker and write his name in huge letters in obvious places like around the inside of the collar on his shirts/PE tops. Makes it easier to see at a glance which clothes are his, rather than tiny writing on the tag in the clothes.

If he's anything like mine, you'll still find him coming home with someone elses clothes on though :rolleyes: My eldest even managed to bring a white PE top with pink frilly edging on so it was obviously not his top, but he never noticed