Smoothing the transition from lockdown to the 'big' classroom

After over a hundred days of home learning, children will need to be ready both mentally and physically for the transition out of lockdown and into the classroom, and that affects preschool-aged children just as much as those that attend primary.

Christine Graham, Educator at Young Academics Riverstone, said she had noticed that some children who had stopped attending in-centre learning during the lockdown had forgotten some of the social skills they had previously picked up. But parents ought not to be alarmed, as she said this was "to be expected".

"Luckily it is a simple process to re-acquaint themselves with behaviours and social skills that will help them in the transition from early education to school," Ms Graham said.

Ms Graham said it was "now more important than ever" to ensure that preschool-aged children were properly prepared for the "significant transition to 'big' school."

"After 100+ days of lockdown, face-to-face learning and social interactions with peers are something we will need to get children used to again as we prepare them for the school classroom next year," she said.

"This is nothing for parents to stress about, as most young children are in the same position, but rather it is something for us all to work on together."

Ms Graham said that while foundational literacy and numeracy skills were important for children starting school, the Young Academics Riverstone team were prioritising children's social, emotional, physical, communication and cognitive behaviours and skills when getting them school-ready.

She provided the following tips for families to help them build on their child's physical, cognitive and emotional development at home as they prepare for the important transition to 'big' school.