Preparation For School
Should I start teaching my child reading, writing and maths before they start school?
That's an interesting question, and parents approach this topic very differently. I'd say the word that most encompasses what advice I have to give is balance. You have to be lead by your childs readiness, interest, strengths. If you have a child who is not much interested in that kind of activity, there's no point in pushing it at this stage. After all, that's what school is for and it's not your job to recreate school in your home context. Home is where they can be themselves and develop all sorts of qualities and skills, not simply academic ones. If you've got a child that is ready, on the other hand, there is no harm in engaging in some activities as long as they're framed as enjoyable activities, and they're not arduous or make anybody feel bad or pressured.
My child seems excessively fearful of starting school, what should I do?
This is something that you need to take seriously, but at the same time not emphasize so that the fear becomes even bigger and more unmanageable. First of all, you have to gather information around what this fear is about. You can do that in a number of ways: through observing their play, their interactions with others and what they actually say. But all the time you're doing this, do not give your child the impression that you're overly anxious or as I said before, it's going to snowball. Find out exactly what the problem is, what the problems are. Do anything you can in terms of practicalities. For example, they may be afraid, depending on their age, perhaps on how to get to school or the school routine or the equipment they'll need. If they're younger children there may be other sorts of fears, but the best way to address them is to talk, to understand, to listen, to empathize, to accept and to be constructive.
If my child cries and makes a scene on the first day of school, what should I do?
Don't panic. This has happened many times in the past, and these children inevitably settle down. That actually then recedes into an obvious family anecdote. It's not as serious or intense as it may feel on the occasion. First of all, you've got to take some of the heat and some of the emotion out of the situation. That means staying calm yourself, reassuring the child, understanding why they've panicked in this way, and then addressing that.
How will my younger child be affected by their sibling starting school?
They will be affected, there's no question about that. Firstly, they'll have more of your focus. This could well be a good thing because after all, all children at some point perhaps dream of being only children. But there are some losses too. They'll have less contact with their sibling, so that means that time has to be used and you may well need to substitute other social opportunities in the spaces that's left. See it as a positive development, because it's going to make different demands on your second and subsequent children and that will help their development.
