Five things to do with your child before they start school

Starting school is a milestone in you and your child's life which can bring a whole load of emotions. Whether you’re confident they’ll take starting school in their stride, you’re both experiencing some nerves, or somewhere in the middle, here’s five things you can do with your child to help them prepare for starting their new school. 

1. Help them learn to recognise their own name 
2. Practise getting dressed 
3. Have a trial run with their uniform and play a game of ‘school’
4. Read, watch or listen to stories about going to school 
5. Get into your new routine 

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Children starting school aren’t expected to know how to read (Pacey, 2024) but it is helpful if they can recognise their own name. It will help them spot their coat peg, drawer, or their own artwork.  

You can practise this by making a sign for their bedroom door and pointing out the letters every time you go in and out, or you could draw their name in bubble writing for them to colour in. 

If you’re not confident they’ll be able to spot their name, consider putting stickers on things like water bottles, or keyrings on bags so they’ll be able to tell them apart from other children’s. 

Can they put their coat and shoes on by themself? 

Child in primary school are often taken outside a few times each day so it’s helpful if they can put their coat on. If you can also help them learn how to do their coat up it will get them out on the playground even faster! But don’t worry if they struggle with this, there will be grown-ups to help them. 

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Some schools ask children to take their shoes off when they go into their classroom so you might want to practise doing this, and then putting them back on again, at home. Even if they have got the hand of getting them on and off lots of children can still find it difficult to put their shoes on the correct feet. If that sounds like your little one, a great tip is to get a sticker and cut it in half, then stick the left-hand side inside the left shoe, and the right-hand side in the other. That way your child will be able to tell if their shoes are the right way round. 

Do they need to be able to get changed for PE? 

Lots of primary schools now ask for children to come to school on physical education (PE) days already dressed in their sports kit. But if your child’s school expects them to get changed in class, get them to practise getting in and out of their uniform and PE kit at home. All the clothes your child takes to school should be labelled but it’s particularly important if they are getting changed. 

If your child is going to be wearing a uniform when they start school, you can help them practise getting dressed and then let them wear it at home for a bit to get used to it. You can also check they can use the toilet easily, and make sure there aren’t any scratchy labels annoying them. 

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Children this age love role play so you could take this opportunity to play ‘school’ with them.  They can practise coming in and hanging up their coat, sitting quietly and listening to a story, or doing a register of them and their toys. It’s a great way to help them learn what to expect from school and you can use it as part of helping them practise skills they’ll use in school. 

Reading books, watching TV programmes or listening to podcasts about starting school can help your child understand what a day at school will be like. It can also give them space to talk about any worries they may have.  

After watching or reading these sorts of stories you can ask them questions to encourage them to talk about starting school. Questions you can ask include: 

1. What was your favourite bit of the story? 
2. How do you think characters in the story feel and why? If they're not sure you can make suggestions and ask them if they feel in a similar or different way. Allow time for your child to share any feelings that they have about starting school – are they excited or scared? 
3. Before you read a page in a book, ask them what they think is happening based on the picture. You can use this to discuss what might happen in a typical school day. 

Books about starting school

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• Come to School too, Blue Kangaroo! by Emma Chichester Clark 
• Harry and the Dinosaurs Go to School by Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds  
• I am too Absolutely Small for School (Charlie and Lola) by Lauren Child 
• Keep Smiling by Floella Benjamin and Diane Ewen 
• Lulu’s First Day by Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw 
• Starting School by Janet and Allen Ahlberg  
• The Colour Monster Goes to School by Anna Llenas 
• Topsy and Tim Start School by Jean and Gareth Adamson 

Your local library may have some of these, or other books about starting school, you can borrow. Joining your library is free and usually very easy to do. Most libraries have lots on offer for children and will often give them their own library card so they can borrow their own books.   

• Find your local library if you’re in England or Wales 

• Find your local library if you’re in Scotland 

If you’re not able to get to your local library but you already have an account for your child, the Borrowbox app offers eBooks and eAudiobooks through your local library account.  

Podcast about starting school 

On Cbeebies radio the Time for School: Carpet Time series covers different aspects of life at school, including an episode where children remember their first day at school. 

TV programmes about starting school  

Time for School is a documentary series for children about starting reception. You can watch them make new friends, learn, discover and play. Some episodes are available on BBC iPlayer, but you can also watch full episodes of Time for School on YouTube. 

You could also watch Topsy and Tim have their first day at school on BBC iPlayer. Topsy and Tim is a live action series about a set of twins. This episode shows their first day of school when Topsy can’t wait to get started but Tim is feeling nervous. There are other episodes in the series about practising the school run, getting school shoes and meeting their new teacher and teaching assistant. 

Learn about Wufflebump, from Cbeebies’ School of Roars', typical school day. School of Roars is a cartoon about five little monsters going to school together. It focuses on the routine, relationships and experiences of a child’s first year, as seen through the eyes of mini monsters. 

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In the week or so before your child starts school try to practise the school morning routine, including getting dressed and eating breakfast in time to leave. That first morning will be much easier if everyone is used to being up at the time they need to be! It’s also worth doing the journey to school so your little one knows what the school run will involve.  

At the other end of the day, establishing a good bedtime routine will help make sure your child is getting the sleep they need to help them learn and enjoy their day. 

If you’d like more help and advice on getting your child ready for school read more starting school advice on our Family Space website.