Ready for school

Getting dressed

Getting dressed by themselves is a skill that will develop over time.

Being able to get dressed without help from an adult is fantastic for developing your child’s independence.

Putting on clothes is a tricky skill. It requires both big and small movements. Buttons and zips can be fiddly for small fingers. Velcro or buckles are much easier to fasten shoes. For PE get children trainers rather than plimsoles as they provide better support for little feet. If shoes are comfortable children will enjoy physical activity much more.

• Practice putting shoes on the correct feet. Draw half a smiley face inside each shoe, this can help children with their left and right.
• Dressing up is a fun way to support getting dressed skills. Start with scarves and materials and then move to oversize clothes they can pull on an off themselves.
• Movement skills – At-Home Activities to Practice Getting Dressed (youtube.com)
• Use a tick list or a sequence strip to support the children with dressing.
• Start them off and allow them to finish, e.g., pull their jumper up, pulling their arms out, leave on their head and allow them to finish by pulling off their head.
• Drawing outline of their body with chalk. Place clothing items onto the right place of the body o they get used to where things go.
• Simon says – get to know body parts.

Lots of encouragement and making it fun will help them to be excited and want to keep trying. Be sure to factor in extra time in the morning to avoid rushing to get ready.

Top Tip

It can sometimes feel frustrating or time consuming, and it can seem easier to do it for them, but the more they practise the easier it will be.

Try Pacey's Activity below:

• Ready, steady, dress activity sheet. Create a self-portrait of your child all dressed and ready for school. This activity sheet not only builds excitement for wearing school uniform, but also helps strengthen children’s fine motor skills too.
• Getting dressed and ready for the day - backward chaining information sheet - NHS
• Getting ready for the Day - BBC

Ready for lunch!

Give your child the opportunity to develop their independence around mealtimes so they can get used to it before school.

Top Tip

Try and sit at the table to eat together as often as you can. Mealtimes at school are fun and sociable times. 

Children will need to be able to feed themselves using a knife and fork sitting at a table.  Get them to practice cutting up their food, ask them to carry their own plate and clear it away.

• Rather than giving your child a whole plate of food to cut up, try leaving them some to do independently.
• Encourage them to use their fork to hold the food still whilst you model cutting with the knife.
• If your child is struggling to use a knife and fork, encourage them to scoop their food with a spoon.

To support your child to eat well, offer new foods in different forms (raw or cooked, sticks or slices, smooth or lumpy). This will help your child to learn to like a range of different food.

It is normal for toddlers to refuse to eat or be a fussy eater. Make sure you give them the right portion size for them. 

Children should only drink plain water or unflavoured milk to keep their teeth healthy. 

Your child should be drinking from a cup without a lid. Make sure they are having about six to eight drinks every day.

Top Tip

Be patient! Spills will happen. Give them time to try and do things for themselves.

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 can have a free school lunch.

If you are on benefits your child may be eligible for free school meals throughout school. You will need to apply through your local council. If your child is eligible for free school meals, they’ll also qualify for the Holiday Activity and Food Programme. Food vouchers may also be available through the Household Support Fund. Find out more by contacting your local council.

Helpful links

• NHS – Healthier Families Recipes
• NHS – What to feed young children
• NHS – Fussy eaters
• Tom Kerridge – Full Time Meals
• CBeebies – Big Cook Little Cook
• BBC – Tiny Happy People – advice for mealtimes with babies and toddlers
• HENRY – Recipes
• HENRY – Tips for happy family mealtimes
• HENRY – Tips for eating well for less
• HENRY – Top tips for fussy eaters
• BabyCentre
• Child Feeding Guide Tips and Tricks
• Be Sugar Smart! Check out these tips for Healthier Snacks for Kids
• HomeStart Mealtime Routine sheets One and Two

Going to the toilet

Your child should be wearing cotton pants throughout the day at school. Some children with complex needs may take longer to be dry during the day. Some children will not be dry at night when they go to school. This is normal.

Start toilet training as soon as your child shows signs they are ready. It requires time and patience.

Give your child plenty of encouragement and praise when they are dry. Don’t get cross or let your child see your frustration when they have an accident.

If they have an accident, change them in the bathroom. This helps them learn where they should be going. Encourage them to wipe themselves properly from front to back using toilet paper. Teach them to wash their hands with soap and water. You can use (not food) rewards, for example stickers when toilet training.

If you need help contact your health visitor.

Helpful links

• ERIC – All aboard the toilet train: Get ready for school
• ERIC – Learning bottom wiping – a step by step guide
• ERIC – Potty training – how to start and best age to potty train

• Please see this printable toileting sequence strip on the Eric website:

  Toilet visual schedule (eric.org.uk)

• The Institute of Health Visiting has advice and tips on toilet training
• Simple and supportive toilet training advice - ERIC
• Potty training and bedwetting - NHS
• Pants4School - Down Syndrome UK
• Concerned your child is constipated?

Physical Play

To prepare your child for all types of physical school activities, encourage a variety of outdoor play to practice new skills and movements. Feed your child’s natural curiosity and explore together:

• at the park,
• climbing play equipment,
• skipping,
• kicking a ball,
• playing with other children.

Try new games and activities as this is a great way to learn and practice new movements. This also helps children learn to give things a go and keep trying when things are difficult.

Play with your child as this shows you are interested. Delight in their discoveries and encourage creativity.

Every day should be a healthy day. Children should be active for at least 3 hours every day (spread throughout the day). 

Tips for the under 5's include:

• agree a family limit to screen time per day
• make bedrooms a TV and computer free zone
• limit screen time to encourage kids to be active
• involve your child in household chores such as setting the table or taking the bins out
• use toys such as balls, skipping ropes or kites to encourage active play

For more ideas and local links see our Being Active page.

Ideas for keeping active

• Physical development

• Getting moving for 3 hours a day - NHS
• Support your child to be a Healthy Mover - Youth Sport Trust
• What is core strength and why is it important for children? - Department for Education
• Fun games to get them moving - BBC
• 50 Things to do Before You're 5: Inspires parents and carers to connect with children through a range of activities, all designed to have a positive impact on learning and health
• 50 things to do before you're 11¾: Inspiration for children under 12 from the National Trust.

Speaking

Being able to communicate what a child is feeling and thinking will really help them get ready for school. Most children are able to use longer sentences and link them together by the time they enter the school gates. They will still struggle to make harder sounds such as r, w, l, f, th, sh and ch, and make mistakes with tenses. They will usually be able to ask questions and will be beginning to describe events.

Provide simple choices during the day so that children have the chance to say which they’d like and why. Encourage your child to have a go at things and ask for help when they need it. Let your child ask for things when you are out shopping. Play games that involve taking turns – make sure you are a good listener too!

Use family dinner time as an opportunity to talk about everyone’s day. Ask your child what they have enjoyed today. Reduce distraction by turning off the TV and radio.

Ditch the dummy and remember to brush teeth twice a day: having a healthy mouth also helps your child to be able to speak clearly by making the right mouth shapes to make different sounds. NHS dental care is free for children. Find you nearest dentist and register with them today!

• Explore Small talk for ideas on little ways to make a big difference.
• Words for Life has tips on which books to read when and activity sheets.
• Explore a range of approaches to language learning and development from NHS Start for Life
• Build your child’s imagination and language by making up stories together - BBC
• Child's Progress checker - Speech & Language UK

If you want to talk to someone about your child’s development, contact your local Health Visiting service.

Listening and Engaging

Children develop listening and attention skills by noticing and focussing on everyday sounds around them.

At school, it will help them to join in with activities and interact with their teacher, in small groups and as part of the whole class.

Developing good attention and concentration skills at home will support them get ready for the classroom.

Top Tip

Give plenty of time for your child to respond before asking a question again.

Playing games that involve encouraging children to remembering information, eg. I Spy, Simon Says or games like musical bumps or chairs help encourage listening.

Ready stories more than once so children can pick up the pattern. Choose story with an easy-to-follow pattern, e.g.,  Bear hunt / Owl babies / Hungry Caterpillar / Monkey puzzle.

Sing action songs, where children must follow the instructions e.g. sleeping bunnies or wind the bobbin up. 

Visit your local library to discover new books together. They also run story time and rhyme time sessions.

Tips for talking to your baby and young child from the Literacy Trust.

See Pacey's Happy Talk Guide below:

• Happy talk – Most early years teachers agree that, for a child starting school, being able to talk about what they think and explain how they feel are more important than any academic skills.
• Follow the walk and talk trail with the National Literacy Trust
• Practice language and listening skills at home with these games - Playing with a cardboard telescope - BBC
• Practice language and listening skills at home with these games - Red Light, Green Light - BBC

See our section on communication and talking skills also.

Writing Skills

Developing strength in fingers and hands supports children to become more independent to do a range of everyday activities that require fine motor skills. It will also make it easier to hold and control a pencil to start writing and drawing. There are lots of activities that you can do together to help:

• playdough,
• finger rhymes,
• provide materials to start practicing drawing and painting,
• draw with a stick in the mud/water painting on the ground,
• holding onto ropes and swings at the playground,
• practicing using scissors,
• scrunching up paper balls.

Children should be able to concentrate on something they find interesting for short periods of time.

Building relationships and communicating

• The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s Shaping Us Framework outlines how these skills develop in early childhood
• Top tips for enjoying stories together and book recommendations for starting school - Book Trust

Being with others

• Learn how to support your child to make friends - Family Corner
• Understand your child's social development - Words for Life
• Practice sharing with toys - BBC

Family Hubs and childrens centres are also the best places for parents/carers to go! They focus particularly on parenting support, childhood development, socialising children, support with expressions of needs and feelings that might be challenging, ​​​and perinatal mental health support.  Click here for further information. 

See below for details on meeting a speech and language therapist at one of Hounslow's Family Hubs:

If you think your child is having trouble with communicating and talking to you, discuss your concerns with a professional such as a health visitor, GP, nursery/school teacher who can provide advice and consider whether they may require a referral to a speech and language therapist or GP.

Parent/carers can also self-refer to speech and language therapy. See main page for more information Speech and language therapy (children) :: West London NHS Trust

Referral jot form https://westlondonnhstrust.jotform.com/243522101946955

The link below is a useful resource of fun ways to play and learn while working on fine motor skills. Most activities here are easy prep and use recycled materials or items you might find around the home.

The OT's Guide to Fine Motor Skills - The OT Toolbox

See also Hounslow Occupational Therapy page Children’s occupational therapy (OT) :: West London NHS Trust

See below leaflet for a chance to meet an occupational therapist at one of Hounslow's Family Hubs:

CBeebies has different programmes on getting ready for school: Ready for School

Staying Healthy

Staying Healthy

Make sure your child is fit and healthy to attend school as much as possible. Remember to take them for their preschool vaccinations (age 3 years) at their GP surgery. Please contact your GP if they have not had them.

If your child is unwell and you’re unsure if they should go to nursery or school, there is lots of information on this page.

Make sure your child knows how to wipe their own nose. 

Did you know that under 5’s can have a free NHS eye test? They don’t need to be able to recognise letters or read to have their eyes checked. It is important to find eye problems early as it can affect their development and education.

Special Educational Needs or Additional Needs

If you feel you and your child would benefit from extra support with starting school, you can speak with your local health visiting or school nursing service. They may offer support with a personalised plan. If your child is under a specialist team or paediatrician, you can speak with them regarding your child starting school or nursery.

If you think your child may have special educational needs (SEN), contact the SEN co-ordinator, or ' SENCO ' in your child's school or nursery. Contact your local council if your child is not in a school or nursery. 

This BBC article has tips for parents of children with special educational needs.

Resources for families with additional needs:

There are many organisations who can support you with information and strategies to prepare you, your child and their educational setting, ensuring a smooth transition and setting them up for future success.

These include:

• Family Lives
• Speech and Language UK
• Dingley’s Promise
• KIDS

Being a confident and happy child

The Five to Thrive approach includes five key activities for parents/carers to do with their children to support attachment. The Five to Thrive messages support the development of secure attachment and emotional resilience. Do these five key activities every day with your child to help their growing brain develop: 

1. Respond: Thinking about what your child needs and responding to this. 
2. Cuddle/Engage: Connecting and engaging. This building block is “cuddle” for babies and children. This becomes “engage” for young people and adults.
3. Relax: Learning to respond to stress and react in a suitable way. 
4. Play: Being playful and activating the right side of the brain. 
5. Talk: Speaking or signing and activating the left side of the brain. 

Confident, happy children will find it easier to settle more quickly when you leave them at school. Visiting new places and meeting new people will help children prepare to feel ready to explore their new school environment. Reassure your little one you will be back at the end of the day to collect them from school.

Hungry Little Minds is a resource full of ideas and activities for parents of under 5’s to do with their child to help them learn and discover the world. This will help them get ready for when they start school.

More tips on how to Chat, Play, Read with your child everyday through the different early years stages from National Literacy Trust’s Small Talk project.

Sleep

It's recommended that pre-schoolers aged 3-5 years get 10-13 hours of sleep per day (24 hour period). This includes any daytime naps.

Some pre-schools require an afternoon nap, though you should be working towards your child dropping a regular afternoon nap before they start school.

Do babies and young children automatically fall into a good sleeping pattern?

• No. All babies and children need to be supported to develop a good sleep routine and good sleeping habits. It is a process that will take time and can’t be achieved in a few days. This can be a struggle, especially when you are sleep deprived and feel constantly tired yourself. All babies are different and will start sleeping through at different times. There also needs to be a degree of flexibility around sleep routines.

What routines and habits promote good sleep

• Fortunately, there are many practical ways to develop and improve your child’s sleeping routine and habits. Tips for pre-schoolers are below.

Sleep and Pre-schoolers (3-5 years)

Pre-schoolers typically sleep 10-13 hours each night and most do not nap after five years of age. As with toddlers, difficulty falling asleep and waking up during the night are common. With further development of imagination, pre-schoolers commonly experience night-time fears and nightmares. In addition, sleepwalking and sleep terrors peak during preschool years.

Sleep Tips for Pre-schoolers:

• Maintain a consistent and enjoyable sleep schedule and bedtime routine.Maintain a regular 'sleep friendly' environment, with the child settling in the same environment that they will later wake up in during the night (i.e. their bedroom). This should be without any screens an hour before bedtime – so no TV, mobile phones, tablets or computers.
• Set limits that are consistent, communicated and enforced. If parents do not set limits children will invariably choose a later bedtime. You could try giving your child one of two bedtime 'passes' that can be exchanged for a parent response, and if they are not used they can exchange them for a small reward such as a sticker in the morning.

Positive reinforcement: If appropriate behaviour is rewarded it is likely to be repeated. Parents should provide encouragement and positive praise for small achievable steps. Some parents find it helpful to use star charts for pre-school and primary school-aged children. Rewards should never be withdrawn.

Daytime naps advice:

• Daytime naps provide much needed downtime that aids the important physical and mental development that happens in early childhood
• They help keep babies and young children from becoming overtired, which can affect their moods and make it harder for them to fall asleep at night.
• They also give parents a break during the day and time to tackle household chores or just unwind.

There's no single rule about how much daytime sleep kids need. It depends on their age, the child, and the sleep total during a 24-hour period. For example, one toddler may sleep 13 hours at night with only some daytime catnapping, while another gets 9 hours at night but takes a solid 2-hour nap each afternoon. If your child is napping 'on the go' (for example in the car) try to ensure that this is balanced by daytime sleep in their own bed at home so that they get good quality daytime sleep over the course of a week.

Example of a good bedtime routine:

Every baby and child is different and you can adapt the following bedtime routine to meet your baby’s/child’s needs. Babies may require a shorter bedtime routine. You will wish to offer your baby a 'top-up' feed as part of the routine.

Start the 'journey to bed' an hour before bedtime using signals such as end of a favourite game.

6.00pm: Bath time – bathing and brushing teeth

6.15pm: Change into bedtime clothes

6.30pm: Story time. If they are not interested in stories to begin with you could try gentle songs/nursery rhymes. Story time can be extended as a child gets older.

6.45pm: Settle into bed, cuddle time, and goodnight. Some parents find it helpful to sing the same nursery rhyme/song every night as a signal that it’s time to go to sleep.

Avoid return to daytime activities (e.g. not returning downstairs after their bath).

Transitional objects (soft toys) are helpful to many young children as part of positive sleep association.

My child is tired, so why won’t they sleep?

If a child is happy, comfortable, and tired, problems falling asleep are likely to be behavioural (such as bedtime resistance) or environmental (such as noise).

I’ve tried all of the above and my baby is still waking frequently!

Some babies take longer than others to respond to a routine and settle into good sleep habits. Look after yourself. Almost all adults find interrupted sleep makes them feel tired and irritable, and relationships can suffer. For further advice see the useful resources  below:

• Paediatric Sleep Council for advice on a wide range of sleep problems for 0-3 year olds. Click here.
• The Children’s Sleep Charity-advice on a wide range of sleep problems for 0-3 year olds. Click here.
• Sleep and young children - NHS
• Struggling to get children to sleep: How to establish a bedtime routine - BBC