primary school | Sydney Catholic Schools

Kindergarten: Four tips for a successful start

Of all the milestones in early life, starting kindergarten can be one of the most exciting – and nerve-wracking – for parent and child alike.

Below are four factors to consider for a smooth transition from daycare and home to a larger, more structured primary school environment.

Timing

While there is no national starting age for kindergarten, in NSW children are expected to attend by the year they turn 6.

A child’s social and emotional needs, as well as how they cope with change, often trump academic readiness in the decision-making process.

“It depends on the child, the family, the advice from the early childhood service,” said Kim Moroney, Specialist: Early Years (K-4) Curriculum at Sydney Catholic Schools.

“Some children are excited to leap into the next stage of their life, but for others that is more challenging. It’s different for everybody.”

“Schools are very proactive in welcoming and reassuring families.” – Kim Moroney, Specialist: Early Years (K-4) Curriculum

Familiarity

It can be natural for a child to miss their old routine as they adjust to a new one at primary school.

Taking photographs of the classroom, playground, office and teacher (with permission!) during orientation and talking about them with your child can help familiarise them with their new environment ahead of time.

Developing their vocabulary around school and familiarity with school items such as lunchboxes, shoes, hat, and backpack – and when and how they are used – is also helpful.

“The most important thing when children are transitioning to school is for them to have a sense of connection, and of belonging to the school,” Ms Moroney said.

“Having conversations with your child about school and how they are feeling is invaluable.”

Social and emotional …

Create the Perfect Home Study Schedule

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Remote Learning

Working to an hourly clock may seem like the ‘right’ thing to do, but this approach is putting unnecessary pressure on many at-home parents of primary schoolers.

That is because hourly time frames are more suited to a classroom, according to Dr Kate O’Brien, the Director of Education and Research at Sydney Catholic Schools.

“In primary school, much of the learning is around collaboration and working with others, so there’s a lot of development of oral language skills, social skills and organisational processes,” Dr O’Brien explained.

At home, families are doing a range of things at the same time as learning is happening, so there isn’t that same intense focus on language and social aspects, like in school, she said.

“A school may have a literacy session for an hour a day that explores the skills of the English curriculum,” Dr O’Brien said. In the home, “without the discussion in classroom learning”, a child could do the same in about 20 minutes, she said.

“This is a unique time and an opportunity to build character and the dispositions of learning, such as problem solving, persistence, speaking with accuracy and precision” – Dr Kate O’Brien

Dr O’Brien believes a holistic approach to learning is better suited to primary school students.

She said student activities should include building relationships in the home, communication tasks, and exploring the world around them.

“Cooking a cake, by going through what you need to measure to cook that cake,” suggests Dr O’Brien.

“Write down a procedure for the process or make a video of how to bake, then write about the experience.

“Go for a walk and explore the local environment. Talk along the way, share stories of your childhood and create memories for the future.

“Use the time to create positive memories for the future and …

Kindergarten: Four tips for a successful start

Create the Perfect Home Study Schedule

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which our schools and offices now stand. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Contact

phone

Links

Follow Us