After the last year, many parents and carers with children due to start school this autumn may have a worry about whether they will be ready
And wondering what they can do to help prepare
It is a natural concern, and we’ve made a short film to try and show how there is no need to be too worried
There is input from Education Scotland inspectors, as well as from experienced teachers, to explain how transition into school will go this year, what P1 classes will be like in Highland, and how you can help your child prepare
At all times, if you have concerns and can’t find the answers, your local school will be more than pleased to help, so don’t hesitate to get in touch
Did you know that helping you sort the clean clothes can be good for your child’s maths? Or that it helps them learn how to concentrate or learn new words?
This idea is all about how to turn a bothersome daily chore into something you might enjoy together
As with everything, don’t feel you have to, and don’t force your child. Stop when you’ve both had enough!
It is the time of year when families are filling in the forms to enrol their children for starting school
This year it may be a little more worrying than usual.
Some parents or carers may be wondering whether their child will be ready or not, especially if they have missed time in nursery.
Nearly all children have experienced some disruption in the last year or so. P1 teachers all know this and they will be ready for the children and take the time that they need to settle in. Schools will be a bit different to usual because we will be adapting to what the children need
Meanwhile there is lots you can do to help through play, games and fun. Just as important, there are some things you really don’t need to worry about!
There are some posters below on how play and talk at home can build foundations for different kinds of learning
Nothing is required or expected, but hopefully some of these ideas will be fun and help deal with any worries you might have.
If you click the image, that will give a pdf that can be printed – and there is a link to a clearer image to view on screen too.
It is enrolment week in Highland, so an extra post today as this is not a usual year!
Starting school is an exciting time for children and for their families. It can feel like a big moment and everyone wants it to go well.
This year it might feel like a bigger step than usual. With time in nursery having been disrupted, not to mention all the other things families have had to think about in the last few months, there may be worries that children will have missed important learning and won’t be ready.
Reasons to be confident
The good news is that in Scotland, nursery and Primary 1 are part of the same Early Level in the curriculum. What this means is that there is not meant to be a big jump on starting school, and Primary 1 teachers make sure that they adapt to each child as they are when they come in.
This will be especially so this year as every child will have had a different set of experiences, and teachers will spend time to get to know them through play to work out what they need to learn.
There isn’t a list of what children have to be able to do when they start school. So if your child is not doing this or that – or if they seem ahead of your neighbours in some ways and behind in others – it does not matter.
What can families do?
But there are some things you can do to help your child’s learning and development, and these will all help in the move to school.
The main, and best thing, you can do is to set aside some time each day to play and talk with your child. Get outside when you can, enjoy some stories and follow their interests wherever this goes. If you are not sure what to do, then there are lots of activities on www.bumps2bairns to choose from – just use the tags to find something fun
On Friday, we will be posting some more detail on preparing for school including some of the things you really don’t need to do!
Children love playing with water, whether it’s splashing in puddles or in the bath. Not only is it great fun but they can learn so much through ‘skiddling’!
Todays ‘daily tip’ helps children learn about floating, sinking and so much more using everyday items.
As the weekend approaches, we might be thinking of some of the people we can’t see right now
Young children might miss seeing friends, grandparents, parents who are away or other family members
Video calls can be a great way to say hello and chat. There are lots of games we can play on a video call too that can make us feel great as we have fun together
Here are some of the ideas on this site that can work quite well using video and you can probably think of others too.
Please enjoy, stay safe and we will have more ideas for fun and learning at home next week
It may be a bit grey and cold outside, but there is a whole world of learning and fun out there for young children (even if the weather is so bad you can only look at it through the window!)
Learning about seasons and the changes that happen is not just about science (important as that is). It also gives children a sense of stability in how the world works and makes life more predictable.
We could all do with a little of that right now, maybe.
So today’s idea is very simple. You may be going out anyway for a walk, to go to the shops, or just to get rid of cabin fever and away from the chores
It is a way to help your child learn to notice things, to see and feel what winter is like – and chat about it for as long as they are interested
Social media is full of some really good resources and lists of things to do to help children learn at home. And schools and nurseries are working hard to get organised with ideas for families
This is all great!
And. As we go into another lockdown, parents and carers have a lot to think about. Many of us are a bit scared and uncertain – and if there are money or other worries too, this just adds to the stresses.
So, it is ok to do what we can do. And not worry about what we can’t manage.
Play and talk is all you need
What really matters for young children? It is “just” time to play and to chat. If you do things that everyone enjoys and can chatter about, then learning is automatically going to happen. It just will.
Of course there is a curriculum and as adults we like to have a “programme” for what we think children should be learning. But through everyday play and fun and interesting two-way conversations, young children will “cover” what they need without even trying.
A little bit every day is better than trying to do too much and getting nowhere. It may look simple to you, but to a child everything is still a wonder and something to explore and learn about. Follow their lead and you may well find yourself learning too.
So if this is for your family a time to draw together, look after each other, and just get by for a while, then that is fine too. You can take the lead from your children as to whether they are not getting enough stimulation. You’ll soon see if they are bored and need to do more.
Fun outdoors, fun indoors, sharing laughter, doing things together – children of any age will learn what they need.
School and nursery programmes and webpages of resources are there to help you, not be a burden or a standard to live up to – let them know if it is too much or not what you need.
About this website
The same goes for this site. While early learning and childcare settings are closed, we’ll be posting a daily idea for learning through play. These will (on purpose) be mostly things you might do anyway with resources you already have – but you may not know how rich they are in learning for your child. They are just ideas for if you are stuck or wondering what to do, so please pick and choose – and let us know how you get on using the comments!
Best wishes to everyone from James and the bumps2bairns.com team!
PS – if you want some of the theory and background on this, then the newest practice guidance from Scottish Government is on this link
During the first lockdown last year we posted daily ideas for how young children can learn at home through play and fun. You can find all of these on http://bumps2bairns.com by scrolling down or using the keywords at the side.
We’ll be posting some more ideas from next week – some will be “repeats” and there will be some new things too. We’ll also share some ideas on helping young children with stress and worries and what to do if you are worried about your child’s learning or development.
If your child has a lot of concerns just now, then they may like this story about Dave the Dog, or it might give you some ideas for what to talk to them about.
Meanwhile, best wishes to everyone from James and the bumps2bairns team!
Another game today that can be played outside at a safe distance of 2 metres with family or friends – or at home just with your child
It is an old favourite that is usually a lot of laughs, but there is a lot of learning too
Your child will be developing the key skill of “not doing” something – stopping ourselves doing or saying something is really hard and games like this help build your child’s control over their actions
Plus, dancing around and laughing at people (safely) falling over is really good for our wellbeing …
Many of us have a long weekend, with a public holiday this Friday
It is nice to have the time to spend together, but of course at the moment we can’t spend it with everyone we’d like to
Young children might miss seeing their friends, their grandparents, parents who are away or other family members
If we can, video calls can be a great way to say hello and chat. There are lots of games we can play on a video call too that can make us feel great as we have fun together
So no new idea today, but here are some from the last few weeks that are particularly good for playing through video calls
Please enjoy, stay safe and we will have more ideas for fun and learning at home next week
If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some water balloons here are some ideas for indoor and outdoor play. Some children might be worried initially about getting wet so there are some tips below to help them join in. Others will love to get everyone wet – so plan before you play and have fun!
As well as being fun, messing about with water balloons is great to building attention skills, learning new words, and also about sequences – this is really good for maths and writing later on.
If you are looking for ideas how to help young children learn at home through play, scroll down! Or search using the tags.
You can also subscribe for a daily email using the “follow” button if you wish. This will arrive every weekday morning with a new idea for play, learning and fun
If you are looking for more general information about early child development and how to support this, then please use the menus above, or go to this link
These pages are created by people living and working in the Highlands of Scotland, but everyone is welcome to use them. You can find out more about us using the About menu
Playing and talking together, having fun, a listening ear and loving kindness – that’s all our young children need from us to learn and develop right now.
Children love playing with water, whether it’s splashing in puddles or in the bath. Not only is it great fun but they can learn so much through ‘skiddling’!
Todays ‘daily tip’ helps children learn about floating, sinking and so much more using everyday items.
