Nursery to Reception!!

So some of you mums and dads out there will be experiencing your child or children making the transition from nursery to reception!


This will be a big change for you and your child, they will no longer be doing half days or wearing their own clothes, it is now time to get the school uniform! I couldn’t believe how expensive the uniform was, however some schools do have sales were parents swap and buy uniforms, this is a much cheaper way then buying from the school. Another way of getting the uniform is by shopping in supermarkets and getting the jumpers in the school colours, you will have to check with you school first to make sure this is okay as some schools do not allow it.  


The first day I took Jack to reception I was terrified for him however Jack was the total opposite he was so excited he forgot to give me a kiss goodbye, the day went so slow but when I got him home at 3pm he was telling me all about his wonderful day which made me so much more relaxed about him starting school.


Reception is the half way point between nursery and year one, they will have the learning via play that they had in nursery and they will also be slowly introduced in to the ways of year one like structured learning.  There are some targets a child should be expected to achieve by the time they leave reception class, this will provide a firm foundation for National Curriculum work in year one.  Most schools give out book bags and one or two books a week for your child to learn at home, they say to try and read one book at least with your child a day.  The government and schools believe that children learn best from practical experiences, and all areas of the curriculum are delivered in this way as much as possible, the curriculum for reception include, language and literacy, mathematics, personal, social and emotional development, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creative development.  People have asked me what can I do to help my child be ready for reception, and I tell them that you can help them by encouraging their personal development by letting them dress themselves and to tidy up books and toys after using them.  Talking with your child and encouraging them to chat back to you and others can help them with their social and emotional development, encouraging them to also play co-operatively with other children will also help to.  I found that if you take weekly trips to the library and get your child to choose a book to read, it would encourage them to want to read the book, along with this you are teaching them to use a library and the way you can borrow books.  


My husband was brilliant at teaching Jack mathematics, when we used to get on the bus or buy things in shops he would get jack to count out the money, along with this we would do adding and subtracting games on the bus with the money and other objects.  We also found a great game to play in the bath were we would pour water in to jugs and talk about the quantities of water that were in the jug.  


In the reception class the children are encouraged to have a positive attitude about learning and to believe that learning is fun, once your child has started school your input and evolvement is still key in your child’s learning and development.  Make sure you have a good relationship with the teachers and if you have any concerns don’t be worried to ask, this is your child’s education and that’s what matters.  In order for your child to get the best education I believe that schools and parents need to work together to promote the right approach to learning, to do this we need to encourage high self esteem, confidence, fun and enjoyment, the “can do” and “have a go” approach, a positive attitude and high expectations.


When it comes to writing it is all to do with hand-eye-co-ordination and fine motor skills, there are many ways to develop this for example by tracing letters and following the dots to making letters and words.  As their confidence rises and their interest develops they will go from letters to words, there are a few ways to encourage your child at home to learn how to write.  You can do this by writing while they play, writing with them, show examples of writing and get them to copy, you should always use lower case letters as you would normally. 


At the end of the year you will receive an end of year report and this will show your child’s progress which has been continually monitored throughout the year, after you have received the report there are chances to speak to the teachers about any worries you may have to discuss.  


I hope this has been some help to mums and dads out there, and if you have any more questions please comment in the comment box below.  If you do enjoy what I write then please press on the follow button on the left side of my blog and all you need to do is sign in using your email address and you will be prompted of any new blogs.  


Thank you for reading and have a lovely evening.