Kicking goals at big school...how a little prep goes a long way!

It’s never too soon to start preparing for the transition to big school and while early learning services do loads to support children to make ‘the leap’ there’s also plenty that parents can do on the home front. 

KindiCare spoke to Lasni Motswagae founder of Seeds of Knowledge, a company that provides tutoring and skill-building to children in the early years to, to discover what works best when it comes to boosting children’s school readiness.    

A former primary school teacher, and more importantly, the mum of two young boys, Lasni has first-hand experience of school transition and a strong belief in the potential of every child to succeed.  

Lasni says that the transition to school is a major milestone for children because it signals the shift from self-discovery and play based learning to a highly structured learning environment.  

“In addition to a change in environment from a smaller, safer, predicable setting to a much larger, challenging, and unfamiliar environment, children are expected to display a lot more independence. 

“This includes, being able to independently organise their belongings, socialise with a wide range of children and follow routines and structured learning at a fast pace.”    

Forget tying shoe laces and reading, Lasni says the most important tool children need in their artillery to make a successful transition to big school is confidence.    

“It is vital that we support our preschoolers to develop confidence in everything they do.”  

Confidence is key 

Lasni says confidence presents itself in a range of ways: 

Self-confidence 

Self-confidence for a child transitioning to big school includes feeling sure of themselves to embrace and seek new opportunities. On transition they will be able to readily explore the environment around them.  

Learning confidence 

On transitioning to school there is a range of situations that children need to be able to problem solve and cope with in a positive way. In school it is important for a child to feel okay with their learning progress and to view feedback as a positive. 

Social confidence  

If a child is socially confident, they will be able to transition to school and enjoy socially interacting with a wide range of people in different situations. They will also have the ability to ask for help when needed.  

Emotional confidence 

Transitioning to school can be an emotional time. At this stage of development children are still learning about their emotions. Emotional confidence is being able to coregulate when children are feeling unsettled, nervous, or sad.  

Organisational confidence  

An important skill for transitioning to school is being confident to organise and take care of belongings, follow routines and complete tasks independently. 

All you need is L.O.V.E 

Lasni believes that all children can develop the confidence they need to make a successful transition to school and she has developed the L.O.V.E model, which offers practical ideas for parents who want to do everything they can to support their child.  

L is for link.  

To help children transition to school it is important to link what they already know, how they feel and link their learning to their interests. Listen to children’s ideas and discussions while they are playing and participate in the discussion to extend their ideas. 

It is essential to make links between the child’s current world and the school world and that we link the experience before they have it. A great activity is to play schools. Other opportunities to develop the skills to transition to school include, reading books, playing board games, early writing (e.g., experimenting with crayons and pencils), and puzzles.  

O is for observe.  

Observe your child to discover their connections and understanding to others and their environment. School readiness involves understanding if your child has the skills (as above) to transition confidently.  

Watching children through their natural activities, provides information about how they are developing. If you are uncertain whether your child is meeting their developmental milestones, it is important to talk about your observations with professionals in the field (e.g., early childhood educators, community health workers, teachers, specialists such as speech therapists, OTs) 

V is for value.  

For your child, value must be about developing and maintaining a high opinion of themselves (self-esteem) as well seeing and understanding that what they are doing is very important. Praise and encourage children when they are engaging in learning activities, or you can see some progress in their learning or that their learning is visible to you or to others. 

E is for engage.  

The goal is for a child to be engaged and actively participating in learning. When fully engaged, children will seek and see solutions, and progress. Model to your child the language of learning through everyday activities (e.g., baking) where you would model mathematical language, how to follow instructions and the process of completing a task to the end product.  

In the ideal world children would have all the skills described above, however, Lasni says the reality is children all develop differently and while some preschoolers may have excellent social skills, they may lack organisational abilities.  

“The challenges are different for every child. It is important to observe your child and understand their struggles and provide the support they need.” 

Starting to think about and prepare for transitioning to school early is one of Lasni’s key messages and she says a common mistake among parents is assuming children will enter school happy and confident. 

“Parents should start thinking about school transition at the beginning of the final year in childcare. This makes it easier to identify struggles and difficulties. It also provides time for a child to further their confidence skills.” 

A key strategy for success is to choose a school early and then work to develop some networks within the school to gain a sense of the community.   

“Networking provides opportunities for conversations, connections, and for children to practice the skills they need to ensure a smooth transition.”

For parents there are online communities such as school and P&C run Facebook and Instagram pages, school readiness can also be a source of contacts and Lasni also suggests talking to parents at childcare to learn who is sending their child where.  

Children can benefit from attending orientations and through attending playdates with friends heading to the same school. 

Lasni says programs like those offered by Seeds of Knowledge provide children the opportunity to be fully supported, inspired and confident as they transition to school.  

“When I transitioned my son, I felt really empowered, because I knew that I had done everything for him to be ready for the biggest day of his schooling career. It is now my life-long mission and work to educate and support every parent with this important transition, and for our young people to feel truly CONFIDENT.”  

Learn more about Lasni’s business Seeds of Knowledge, which runs purposefully designed learning programs that include, the well-sought after Prep4Prep which supports kindy children to be confident for their transition to school.