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Preparing for primary school
- 1-5 Years
- 5-11 Years
- Child development and growing up
It is a good idea to start thinking about practicing independence skills with your child. Especially as they approach the age where they will be starting school. This is going to be a big change for your child and your family. You can help them by preparing them for this change.
Remember, every child is different so they will learn in different ways. Some children will quickly learn these skills whereas others will need more time and support.
Explore the topics on this page:
Skills to work towards before starting school
Skills to work towards before your child starts school
Your child may already have these skills or it may be completely new to them. Wherever your child is at with these skills, they are part of your child's daily life. There will be lots of changes to practice before school starts.
Helping your child get ready for primary school
Some tasks may be overwhelming for your child and hard for them to manage. Break these bigger tasks down into smaller steps. As your child gets more confident, you can then gradually build on these steps.
It is important to make sure you give your child lots of praise and encouragement. It will help them to keep learning and to want to learn more.
The best way for child to learn is through play. So the more fun and exciting you make learning a new skills, the quicker your child will pick it up.
Backwards chaining
Backwards chaining is where you break down a sequence or activity into smaller steps and teach the final step of the sequence first. It helps give your child a sense of achievement when learning the sequence or activity.
When they can successfully complete the final stage by themselves, you can add the step before. Continue this process until the child can complete the whole sequence. This can be used for all sorts of skills such as getting dressed or using cutlery.
Tips to help your child:
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- choose a time when your child is relaxed, calm and happy
- remove background distractions such as TV
- get down to your child’s level and use their name to get their attention
- use a calm voice to give short simple steps that your child will understand
- use gestures and demonstrations to help them understand what you are saying
Last reviewed: 1 November, 2023
