Making the most of ‘big school’

| January 29, 2014

Kindergarten children across Australia wait with nervous anticipation for the first day of school. Early childhood lecturer Dr Amy MacDonald from the School of Education at CSU has some tips for parents.

Starting school is an exciting but scary time for all involved: the children, families and educators. However, this experience is usually a positive one when everyone works together to support the child’s transition and learns about each other in the process.

There is often a lot of talk about whether or not children are ‘ready’ for school, but it is important to think about whether the school is ready for the child. Communication between schools and families is needed to ensure children’s experiences and understandings are recognised and built on as they start school.

Families should also recognise that they are their child’s first teachers and that the learning in home and community settings is just as important as the learning in the classroom. Most school teachers value parents as teachers of their children, so families should feel that they can collaborate with school teachers to support their child’s education. It is always ok for parents to offer information and insight about their child.

There are also many opportunities to make connections between school learning and home learning by noticing and naming the knowledge and skills the child is exploring in both settings. For example, when setting the table at home parents might say things like, “I really like the way you counted out one cup for each person. Have you been practising that at school?” These sorts of connections help children to feel that their knowledge is valued in both settings.

My current research is focusing on the mathematics experiences and education of infants, toddlers, preschoolers and children in the early years of primary school. Children begin exploring mathematical ideas from the day they are born and develop powerful understandings in the years before they start school. Recognising and building upon this when children start school is essential, as it can effect how they engage with and enjoy maths in the years to come.

When family members show a positive attitude towards mathematics it helps children to feel confident that they too can learn and have fun with maths. Parents can help children to see the maths in their everyday life and make connections to the maths they are learning about at school. For example, when children start school, they usually spend a lot of time learning about different numbers and practising recognising and writing them. You can support this process by helping children to notice and name numbers in their everyday activities, such as noticing road signs or naming the numbers on letter boxes.

However, maths is more than just numbers and counting. Children have lots of experiences with other ideas such as measurement, shape and pattern before they start school and they will continue to learn more about these things in the classroom. At home, look for opportunities to talk about a range of mathematical ideas with your child. For example: How long do we need to cook the spaghetti for? Do those socks match? Are the patterns the same? Will your blocks fit in that box?  Reading storybooks, playing games, and listening to music are also an opportunity to count, measure, notice patterns and compare shapes and size.

Parents can help make the transition to school a positive one by making connections between the familiar and the new and by helping the child to navigate the challenges that come with this new experience. However, it is important to keep in mind that children expect school to be something new and different and most children want to learn new things and tackle new challenges.

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