The countdown to term one of the 2023 academic year has begun and some parents will have to put on a brave face as their little ones start formal schooling.
Getting enrolled for grade one is a big step in life for both parents and children, and preparation is crucial ahead of the formal separation in mid-January, when the school gates around the country swing wide open.
Kaylee Randall, a grade-one teacher at St Martins Preparatory School in Johannesburg, has urged parents to start having conversations with their children about formal schooling as soon as possible.
“Parents need to get their minds around the idea of ‘big school’ before stepping up to the task of preparing youngsters. It is all in the preparation,” Randall said.
“[One needs to] have positive conversations about their [children’s] new teacher, about learning new things. It’s important to get a child excited about the first day, and their first experience of what a formal learning environment will be like.
“Encouragement also plays a significant role. It is a giant leap in letting go for parents, and a huge step for children toward independence. A sense of independence is just as important as positive affirmations before the big day.”
Randall suggested that teaching pre-grade one pupils to dress themselves, tying their own shoelaces and doing up buttons and zipping up things goes a long way to creating the level of independent confidence that a child would need as they move into a new learning environment.
“Also responsibilities like packing their own school bags, getting themselves ready before school and creating their own routine. By making learning fun at school and at home, especially at such a young age, it engenders a love and thirst for education that will stand children in good stead later in life.
“Reading, spelling and numbers can be fun, and it’s such a beautiful part of a child’s journey,” advised Randall.
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