Preparing your child to enter primary school

Entering primary school  can be a challenge for both child and parents. Most parents want to make sure that they give their child a head start in life, both in general and when it comes to school and education, in particular.

However, a child’s education and school could end up being a parent’s biggest concern, especially if they see their child facing challenges and uncertainties in primary school.

There is a way of overcoming this situation: by getting your child ready for primary school before he or she starts school. This article informs parents about how they can prepare their kids for primary school and I draw on my experience as a teacher of primary one students in giving you this information.

As a parent, it’s good to assess whether your child is ready to enter primary school or not. Here are different aspects of your child that you need to look into.

1. Verbal Ability

The first question to ask is: Is my child already proficient in the use of the English language? Among the 4 official languages of Singapore, English is the language used in teaching most of the subjects in primary school.

Thus, your child is expected to converse in English, read and write with phonetics the letters of the English alphabet, spell and understand simple English nouns and verbs, and construct simple grammatical sentences in English.

This is why you need to consider the impact of pre-school education in your child‘s life. You could choose a pre-school where your child is taught  basic English language skills.

With the help of teachers at such a pre-school, at an early age your child would be able to recognize and pronounce the 26 letters of the alphabet, and say simple sentences.

By pre-school age, your child should be able to understand English words, write letters and read simple words using phonetic combinations of letters.

When your child is proficient in the English language, he or she can cope with any primary school challenges in other subjects such as Mathematics, Science, Social Studies and many more.

More on preparing for primary school on the next page…

2. Intellectual and other abilities

Develop an awareness of the skills your child has attained apart from those mentioned above.

Your child probably would have developed skills in areas such as physical coordination and outdoor play, imagination, creative appreciation of music, problem solving skills, and basic math concepts.

If you’ve noticed your child has developed and mastered these skills, rest assured that he/she is on his/her way to tackling the basics of preschool education with ease.

3. Social and emotional adjustment

See if you can observe the following in your child’s behaviour:

• Your child is happy and is comfortable with himself or herself and with others
• He/she is inquisitive and curious about things, and has the willingness to listen.
• He/she is sociable and is able to relate well with others
• Your child is willing to share and take turns with other kids, has developed good habits and proper physical coordination, and is concerned about his or her family members, playmates and teachers.

These are just a few of the attributes that should have developed in your child during his or her preschool days. If you are not sure that your child has developed these attitudes and behaviour, do raise your concerns with a medical professional.

Since the primary school environment will be new to him or her, your child must also be emotionally prepared to face the school days ahead.

So do provide plenty of encouragement and emotional support for your child and find out how to effectively connect with your kid.

For children, learning is fun and interesting so long as they feel the warmth and support of parents and teachers alike. Because of this, do take a genuine interest in your child’s primary school journey and show your child that you are interested too.

How did you prepare your child to enter primary school? Do let us know by leaving a comment below.