Malope  joined playgroup in January this year.  We had intended for her to join in January 2020 but when the time came, we just felt that she wasn’t ready. Why? you may ask… Well,  I believe a parent knows their child best  and there are things you just know.

We decided she would join in Second Term 2020 and were looking forward to this milestone when Covid-19 happened. She didn’t join school until January this year.  We didn’t mind at all. Not being in school didn’t mean that she wasn’t learning. A lot of preliminary learning goes on at home. It is easy to underestimate how much you impact your child’s social and intellectual development.

Looking back at our experience being first-time parents of a school going child, this far, we have loved the journey…the school, the teachers, the experience. There have been things we had to learn and those we have had to unlearn. You may have been used to doing things with your child in a certain way and you soon learn that there are better ways of doing them.

There are things that we did before our baby started school that we can confidently say helped make the transition from home-bound to school-going a lot smoother for everyone. I admit though that we needed more preparing than Malope ?? Children adjust/adopt a lot  faster to new situations than adults do.

These are suggestions and as such do not have sleepless nights if  your child is still struggling with these things by the time they are starting school. Teachers are amazing…they are a blessing.  Your child will learn. It is the very reason they are starting school in the first place.

1.  Begin an early morning routine

About two weeks or so to the date your child is due to begin school, start getting them used to an earlier morning routine. Work with the time the school bus will be scheduled to arrive each morning for instance.

2. Self feeding

If they are a tad used to being fed, encourage your child to feed themselves. If they are already self feeding, continue to encourage it.

3. Sitting for longer periods of time

Encourage your child to settle and do a particular activity for longer periods of time. It could be playing with toys, play dough, crayons etc.

4. Wearing a mask or face shield and boosting immunity 

The Covid-19 pandemic caught us all by surprise. One of the hardest aspects of this new normal is children having to wear masks to school. It helps to get your child to wear a mask for longer periods of time or face shield if they aren’t able to wear a mask for various reasons. It may take a while to get used to and starting early helps.  Also, boosting your child’s immunity with appropriate multivitamins and minerals is important. Besides Covid-19, colds and flus will be a continued concern and thus strengthening their immunity is key.

5.  Toilet Training

This is one  thing that can especially cause first-time parents lot of anxiety when kids are due to begin school. Continued encouragement will cultivate independent toilet use and handwashing.

Congratulations to you and your child for getting to this milestone.  Let school begin!????