Children across the UK have spent the last three and half months at home due to Covid-19 - now children are beginning to re-attend, a nursery gives it’s top tips for their safe return.
Anglia Sunshine Nurseries in Sudbury has currently less than 50% of the children previously expected to attend their pre-school - with many of the children still remaining at home with their parents.
Looking forward to welcoming the majority of the children back in September, the nursery has provided parents with a step by step guide to ensure a smooth transition after months spent at home;
1) Well-being - it is important to acknowledge how your child is feeling and to allow them to understand that this feeling is not a problem and will often change.
2) Routine - preparing the children with a good routine allows them to get used to when things will happen and make their own predictions for what to do next.
3) Take notice - a great way to gain the attention and focus of children is to follow their personal interests.
4) Time – all children need the time to be able to comprehend what is said to them and how they feel about what is being asked of them.
5) Independence - in a class situation, it is necessary for children to be able to independently find their belongings and be able to put on their coat and shoes etc.
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6) Recognising their own name – a young child may know their name by sound, but they will need to start getting used seeing it written down.
7) New skills – in a classroom environment, children will be expected to start extending their vocabulary so it is a good idea to encourage your child to learn and use new words.
8) Attention – during your child`s day in the classroom they will be given lots of different verbal instructions and will need to be able to shift their attention from what they are doing to what the teacher is saying.
9) Talking about school - this can help your child understand what is going to happen - also explain that it is OK to feel nervous or sad and they will get tired, but they can always tell their teacher.
10) Communication – healthy debate can give children the ability to share their ideas and viewpoint and also helps them to understand the rules of taking turns in conversation and to learn how to disagree and challenge ideas calmly.
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Felicity Rose, nursery manager, said: “Due to all of the current changes that your child may be experiencing you may have noticed behavioural changes within their development.
“This is completely normal and to be expected as everything is new and a little weird for us all.
“We have had lots of different conversations with parents and carers regarding their children moving on to school and the general feeling is that if their child is happy and well supported, they will go on to learn and thrive.”
Anglia Sunshine Nursery opened in September 2003 and cares for children aged from newborn up to five-years-old.
It also has a kidzone room for school children aged between four and 14 years.
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