Shaping the transition

Is your child already looking forward to the first day of school? They can finally go to school! Starting school is a big step in their development - towards more personal responsibility and independence. Many children already feel "big" and are rightly proud. Some children also have mixed feelings about starting school and may be a little anxious or shy. Parents are called upon to support their children during this time. You can do a lot to ensure a successful start and that your child goes to school happily.

Mothers and fathers often ask themselves what their child needs to be able to do for school. This brings with it expectations and sometimes worries. You should know that your child does not need to be able to read or write when they start school in order to get off to a good start. Rather, it is other skills that will help your child to start school easily. Here is a list of important skills:

• Know your name, age and address
• Sit still for an extended period of time
• Master fine motor skills: use a pencil in a controlled manner, handle scissors and glue safely
• Understand simple work instructions
• Obey rules, listen

• Distinguishing and naming colors
• Understanding quantities: what is a lot, what is a little
• Being able to fit into a group
• Respecting the boundaries of others
• Expressing your own boundaries
• Understanding and accepting criticism

• Talking to others: expressing themselves in full sentences, being able to name their own feelings
• Putting on and taking off shoes independently, tying a bow
• Going to the toilet and washing their hands alone
• Balancing, catching and throwing a ball, hopping on one leg

The basic skills that your child needs for a successful transition to school are developed in the family and at nursery. As parents, you play an important role when it comes to strengthening your child's curiosity about school and their courage to change.

You can contribute to a successful start with this support:

• Tell your child what school is like. Arouse curiosity and excitement about what is to come. Stay realistic in the process.
• Strengthen your child's motivation to go to school. Feel your child's fears and talk to them about them.
• Point out all the things there are to discover at school. But also convey that perhaps not everything is easy straight away, that school also means work. Work that is worthwhile.
• Encourage learning through play! This includes fine motor skills: building towers with building blocks, painting, crafting, cutting out, doing puzzles, folding paper and much more.
• Encourage language skills: Talk to your child a lot. Let them talk about their experiences. Encourage your child to express what they see and talk about what moves them. Let your child play with language, for example by looking for rhyming words.
• Make sure your child gets plenty of exercise, plays outdoors and with other children. In a sports club, your child will also learn to integrate into a group.
• Encourage their independence. Trust your child to do things and let them play, wash, dress and tidy their room on their own.
• Practice keeping your child quiet over a longer period of time, for example by sitting still while eating.
• Encourage your child to finish something they have started, for example painting.
• Encourage your child to listen to a conversation and not to intervene immediately when someone else is speaking.

With the transition from nursery to elementary school, the whole family enters a new phase of life with extensive changes. Fixed school times require a new routine, a lot of organizational skills and good time management, which all family members have to adjust to. Here is some advice:

As parents, you should always remember that every child has their own individual development potential. Your daughter or son will follow their own development path, at their own pace. They will be guided by their curiosity and take individual learning steps. Good advice for parents is to be patient and hold back so as not to overwhelm your child. Mothers and fathers must first learn to let go - even if it is difficult for most parents. You can best accompany your child on the path to independence if you give them confidence and strengthen their self-confidence.