Starting Reception
Your child’s journey to school starts at home
There are key skills that schools expect children to be learning before their first day. Practising these will make your child’s journey to Reception as positive as possible.
There’s lots you can do at home to build your child’s confidence and independence, helping them feel emotionally and practically prepared to start school.
New skills take time to learn. Practising at home will help your child move into school more easily and with confidence.
Growing Independence
Taking care of themselves
- Putting on/taking off their coat and shoes
- Using the toilet and washing their hands
- Getting dressed with little help, e.g. after using the toilet or doing PE
- Using a fork/spoon and drinking from an open cup
- Spending time away from you, learning they can be looked after by caring adults
Play, creativity and curiosity
- Engaging in imaginative play (e.g. role play)
- Drawing, painting, colouring and sticking
- Sharing story books with caregivers, looking at pictures and talking about the characters
- Exploring the world around them (e.g. looking closely at the natural world or playing safely with objects at home)
Useful Links
Growing independence
- Online advice hub and magazine for parents: ‘Be School Ready’ – Parentkind
- 5 tips to help your child get ready for Reception – Family Corner
- Guidance for parents and practitioners – PACEY
- Download a free mobile app for tips and activities to support everyday parenting moments – EasyPeasy
Taking care of themselves
- How can you make separating easier? – Family Corner
- Getting dressed and ready for the day – backward chaining information sheet – NHS
- Getting ready for the Day – BBC Tiny Happy People
Toilet training
- Advice and tips on toilet training – The Institute of Health Visiting
- Simple and supportive toilet training advice – ERIC
- Potty training and bedwetting – NHS
- Pants4School – Down Syndrome UK
Playing, creativity and curiosity
- 5 steps for brain building through serve and return – Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University
- How to follow a child’s interest in play – National Literacy Trust
- How to role play with your child – Pretend role play – BBC Tiny Happy People
- How to role play with your child – Playing pretend animals – BBC Tiny Happy People
- Fire up their imagination with drawing – BBC Tiny Happy People
- What is mark-making and why is it important for learning? – PACEY
- Sharing story books on World Book Day – BBC Tiny Happy People
- Nature activities for children – BBC Tiny Happy People
- Learning and having fun on the bus – BBC Tiny Happy People
- Play a game of ‘What’s that sound?’ – BBC Tiny Happy People
Building Relationships and Communicating
Being with others
- Practising sharing and taking turns with toys
- Talking to them about how they are feeling and why
- Looking at story books together and speaking about what characters are feeling is a good way to do this
- Beginning to recognise what others are feeling, e.g. understanding if a friend is sad
- Encouraging them to set boundaries for themselves and others (e.g. knowing how to say ‘no’)
Communication and language
- Singing along with songs and nursery rhymes
- Talking happily to others about activities, experiences and the world around them
- Showing they need help by speaking clearly (in basic English or sign language)
- Recognising the pattern of their name (so they can find it on their coat peg or jacket)
Listening and engaging
- Paying attention for short periods of time
- Listening to and following simple instructions
- Carrying on with a task even when it’s difficult and bouncing back if things go wrong
Useful Links
- The Shaping Us Framework outlines how these skills develop in early childhood – The Royal Foundation
- Top tips for enjoying stories together and book recommendations for starting school – BookTrust
Being with others
- Learn how to support your child to make friends – Family Corner
- Understand your child’s social development – Words for Life
- Practise sharing with toys – BBC Tiny Happy People
Communication and language
- You are your child’s first teacher – help them learn how to write their name – Words for Life
- Explore a range of approaches to language learning and development – NHS Start for Life
- Build your child’s imagination and language by making up stories together – BBC Tiny Happy People
- Child’s Progress checker – Speech & Language UK
Listening and engaging
- Follow the walk and talk trail – National Literacy Trust
- Practise language and listening skills at home with these games – Playing with a cardboard telescope – BBC Tiny Happy People
- Practise language and listening skills at home with these games – Red Light, Green Light – BBC Tiny Happy People
Physical Development
Getting moving for at least three hours a day
- Walking up and down steps (one foot at a time, using the wall for support)
- Climbing, running, jumping and playing
- Catching a large ball (most of the time)
- Doing simple puzzles and craft activities, strengthening their grip with cutting and sticking
Healthy Routines
- Going to bed around the same time each night, waking up in time to get ready for school
- Limiting screen time to the recommended daily amounts (see advice)
- Eating a healthy diet and trying new foods
- Brushing their teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day (you’ll need to supervise this until they are at least 7)
Useful Links
Understand what ‘healthy’ levels of screen time are, by age
- World Health Organization guidance on screen time and physical activity – WHO
- Tips for a healthier screen time – Health Professionals for Safer Screens
Get insights on internet safety, how screen use impacts young children and recommended screen time
And for those with younger children, the NCT covers advice for babies and toddlers too:
Help children build a strong relationship with food and make the right choices from the start
- Nutrition guidance – Department for Education
- Healthier families – NHS
- Five tips for helping your kids to eat healthily all year round – BBC Tiny Happy People
- Eating Well – First Steps Nutrition Trust
- Factsheet for healthy children’s diets – Association of UK Dieticians
Brushing teeth
Sleep guidance
- Sleep and young children – NHS
- Struggling to get children to sleep: How to establish a bedtime routine – BBC Tiny Happy People
What should I do if I have concerns about my child’s development?
- If you’re worried about your child’s progress, talk to your childminder/nursery/pre-school team, health visitor, local children’s centre or Family Hub.
- If your child has developmental delays or SEND (suspected or confirmed), speak to their childminder/nursery/pre-school team well before they start Reception.
- You can work with your child’s early years setting to help your child with self-care, managing emotions, social skills, and communication in a way that suits their stage of development.
- You might want to share details about their development, needs, what motivates them, what might trigger difficulties, how they learn best, and what strategies work well.
- Make sure you share important information with everyone supporting your child, including their new Reception teacher.
Resources for families with additional needs:
There are many organisations who can support you with information and strategies to prepare you, your child and their educational setting, ensuring a smooth transition and setting them up for future success.
These include:
