What you should teach your children before starting school?

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Transcript

00:00Hello my name is Amber Allitt and I'm a journalist specializing in education.

00:04Late last year a report by early years charity Kindred found that one in four

00:09children were starting primary school without being able to use the toilet by

00:12themselves. This was distracting for teachers who often have to take time out

00:16of class to help them. Using resources created by primary schools and experts

00:21we've compiled a list of some of the skills you should work on with your child

00:24before they enter reception. First of all to ease the transition schools

00:29advise familiarizing your child with routine and with their new school by

00:34taking part in school visits if possible. There are quite a few social skills that

00:38are beneficial too for both teachers and their peers. These include listening and

00:43paying attention, sharing with and being kind to other children, taking turns and

00:48for themselves working on their confidence and independence. To give them

00:52a head start in the classroom reading together at home can help familiarize

00:56them with talking about books and how stories work. Learning to write their own

01:00name will help them spot their belongings at school and mark their work

01:04while basic counting can easily be incorporated into games and songs.

01:08Finally in terms of health and hygiene your child should ideally be able to

01:12feed themselves, get dressed, use the toilet and wash their hands without help.

01:17The NHS recommends breaking these processes up into steps starting with

01:21the last one first to help them learn.