Books to prepare child for school? 24/03/2009 11:04 - Ask Mother Hen (Locality: Louth) ----------------------------------- I have ordered the "Jolly Phonics" range of books / workbooks. The reviews on Amazon were excellent for preparing your child for school. I have heard about Letterland books. Has anyone any advice on books for 3.5/4year old? Many thanks.
re : Books to prepare child for school? 25/03/2009 16:42 - Ask Mother Hen ----------------------------------- Hi Becks, The Jolly Phonics range is certainly excellent – I am not familiar with Letterland books but I think they are much the same. To be honest, my concern with preparing your child for school would be not directly related to the academic side of things. It would be very helpful for your child to know the alphabet and recognise numbers but the primary school itself will teach reading and writing and may be using different books or methods than you. The best advice would be to wait until your child is in school and then get involved in the books and materials that the teacher recommends. In the meantime, simple story telling, reading from books that help with learning letters and numbers will be of great benefit. You can also ensure that your child knows the names of colours. The main preparation for school should be under the following headings: Communication – ensure your child understand others and can be understood Learning skills – by reading with the child and doing crafts etc., you can help them to practice how to concentrate and pay attention Physical skills – your child should be able to use the bathroom, put on his/her coat etc. Social – your child should have had exposure to playing and sharing with other children
You can also help your child by involving them in the preparation for school. For example, they can shop with you for schoolbag, pencil case etc., and also the uniform. Making a fuss of how much of a “big boy” or “big girl” they look in the uniform is an excellent way of encouraging the child to be confident and assured. If possible, take them down to see the school and certainly, for the first few days or weeks of starting school you should ensure that either parent or someone equally familiar to the child can bring and collect the child each day. There are also some other books which you can read with your child specifically around the subject of starting school. These are widely available – some that I know parents to have used in the past are “Starting School” – by Janet Ahlberg, “Topsy and Tim Start School) by Jean Adamson and “Going to School” by Anna Civardi. I hope this helps.
