Should You Start to Prepare Your Kid to Attend Primary School?

Sending your kids to attend primary school for the very first time can be really exciting for both parents and their children. This means, another stepping stone that they need to conquer as they enter another stage of their lives. Excitement can be overwhelming, but what is the right age to send your little ones to a primary school?

When should a child start to attend primary school?

Many children are forced to begin schooling at a very young age. For many psychologists, most of the children who are sent to school early are not yet mentally prepared for the different tasks at school work they might encounter inside the classroom. 

The age of four and five is the stage where play is still important for them. This will help them improve and develop different skills like mental, physical, and social through their interaction with other children. For this reason, at this age, they should be enjoying a lot of time playing so sending them to a primary school is not good for their mental capacity. If you want them to learn at an early age, you can enrol them in a nursery or preparatory school where they teach lessons according to their age-appropriate levels. 

The ideal age your children should go to a primary school is the age of 6 years old. This has been proven to have many advantages for children. At this age, they are more likely to be more attentive and develop many areas of their brain and body to cope with the tasks inside the school. 

What is the appropriate age to attend primary school?

In fact according to the Ministry of Education, your child should not be more than 2 years older than the appropriate age for that education level. Here's a table to guide you for the appropriate age range to enrol your kid to primary school. 

How can you prepare your kids before attending primary school?

School is not like just visiting a mall where you can go anytime. There are a lot of preparations that need to be done, and things that need to be remembered before deciding to enrol your child in school. If you are a first-time mom, or if you are still wondering what you should do before sending your little one to a primary school, we listed them all down for you:

• Choose a primary school that has programs that will feed the interests of your child.
• Get familiar with the school place and environment so you will know what to remind your child to do. 
• Visit the school and teachers so you can have the idea of your child's school environment. 
• Talk to your children about the do’s and don’ts when they are in the school and why it is so important to follow them. 
• Always remind them about safety precautions they should take.
• Open a conversation with them. With this, they will have an idea of what a school is. 
• Buy all the things and school supplies needed for them to learn better. E.g. school bags, notebooks, pencils, and etc. 
• Get a good bus service for their everyday school schedules. 
• Give them all the love and support they need so they will feel more confident. 

Primary schools you can enrol your kids whenever they are ready

When you know that both you and your child are ready for school, you can enrol him or her in any one of these good primary schools:

Wondering if your kid is eligible for primary school? Read: Primary School Selection Process: Is Your Child Eligible for P1 Registration?