Magazine June 2019

Coping with change
This time of year can become stressful for young children, and for us all, as they approach
big changes in their lives. A major change for young children is when they leave your setting
to start school. Some children will cope with this transition easily whilst others will really
struggle with it; especially if they are the eldest child or only child in their family, therefore
they haven’t had the advantage of watching an older sibling go to school every day.
Here are some tips to help
children cope with the
transition into school:
Put school uniform in
the role-play area
This is such an effective
yet simple way of helping
children get use to one
aspect of school life – the
uniform. Ask around and
see if anyone has any
old uniform and book
bags that they no longer
need. The children can
then role-play schools –
if you observe this play
carefully you may become
aware of any worries that
some children have that
they are not otherwise
able to express. Another
great thing about this is
that children can practise
getting changed in and
out of their uniform –
something that they are
going to need to do at
school when getting
changed for P.E. (The
reception teachers will
really appreciate this!)
Create a transition book
With the help of the
school, create a transition
book that tells a child, in
very simple terms, what
their new school is going
to be like i.e. I am going
to ____ school. I will be in
the ___ class. My teacher
will be ____ . This is where
I will hang my coat etc.
Put one sentence on each
page and include a photo
above each sentence.
That way, the book is clear
and simple yet very, very
effective. If you then give
this to the family, they
can read it with the child
over the summer or at any
point that the child may be
having a ‘wobble’ about
starting school.
School visits
Most parents will be keen
to take their children to
all school visits, and I’m
sure that you will welcome
school staff who would
like to visit your setting
(most reception teachers
will do this at some point
during the summer term,
if they haven’t already).
If you have a child that
you think is going to
particularly struggle with
transition, then it would be
worth having a chat with
the school to see if you
can arrange some extra
visits for them.
Help the child
understand when the
changes are happening
One of the problems with
an upcoming change
is that young children
have little concept of
time, so they don’t really
understand when it is
happening. In this case a
visual calendar can help.
Just use a calendar or print
a calendar month off the
computer. On it, highlight
any key events that the
child knows of such as
a holiday or a family
birthday, plus mark their
last day with you and their
first day at school. You
might need to use visuals
to highlight these such as
One of the problems with
an upcoming change is that
young children have little
concept of time, so they don’t
really understand when it is
happening.
a visual symbol, drawing
or photo. The child can
then cross off, either week
by week or day by day, the
time until they start school.
This allows them to visually
get an idea of when they
start school, thus removing
the unknown and easing
anxiety.
Help children
prepare for school
expectations &
routines
Gently helping children
to learn some simple
skills that they will need
to use at school such as
lining up and not calling
out at carpet time is a
great way of helping
them understand what
school is like. That way,
the expectations at school
won’t come as such a
shock to them.
Be positive
Be positive about school –
this may seem obvious but
it is very easy to slip into
lines such as ‘you won’t
be able to do that when
you start school’. This just
instils fear into children
and even if the child
you’re saying it to isn’t
that bothered, there may
be other, more sensitive
children listening in.
Whilst the big upcoming
change that we know
about is starting school,
there are often other
big upheavals in a little
person’s life that can
benefit from the same
support – the birth of
a new sibling, moving
house etc. You can apply
many of the tips above to
these sorts of scenarios.
There are also excellent
Gina Smith
Gina Smith is an
experienced teacher with
experience of teaching
in both mainstream and
special education. She
is the creator of ‘Create
Visual Aids’ - a business
that provides both homes
and education settings with
bespoke visual resources.
Gina recognises the fact
that no two children are
the same and therefore
individuals are likely to
need different resources.
Create Visual Aids is
dedicated to making visual
symbols exactly how the
individual needs them.
Website:
www.createvisualaids.com
Email:
gina@createvisualsaids.com
books available to support
children through different
changes in their lives.
As well as being hard for
children, change can also
be tough for adults! I’m
sure you will be sad to
say goodbye to some of
the characters that you
have got to know so well,
but by putting steps like
these into place, you can
be sure that you have
done your best to help
them transition into school
happily.
32 Parenta.com June 2019 33