Here are some ideas of things you can do with your child to help them develop literacy, numeracy and independent skills as they get ready to move into Primary One.

• Play “I spy” but spell out the word instead of just saying a letter  e.g. p-e-n and see if your child can slide the sounds together to make the word. Make sure you use letter sounds rather than alphabet names for this activity.
• Point out environmental print that they see around them (signs on shops, brand names on tins or cereal) Can they recognise any of the letters?
• Share a picture book with them and ask your child to tell you what is happening using the pictures, what do they think will happen next? What do they like or not like about the story?
• Encourage them to draw and add detail – drawing and mark making develops writing skills
• Talk with your child about their interests, drawings and games
• Play dice games – help your child to recognise the dots on a dice by counting them first to learn the pattern for each number
• Encourage your child to use their fingers to show numbers, can they show them in different ways? e.g. – five can be made with two fingers on one hand and three on another or four on one hand and one on another.
• Count aloud numbers from 0-10 and beyond. Count forwards and backwards together. Stop and start on different numbers
• To build independence support your child to get changed independently, open snacks, zip up coats and put on shoes.

When your child starts school they will need items to support their learning and when participating in indoor and outdoor PE lessons. Below is a list of items your child will need for starting school.

All clothing and equipment should be clearly labelled with your child’s name. Please make sure that your child’s name is on all parts of their school uniform – even their shoes. It is easier for us to locate lost property if it is named.

• A warm, waterproof jacket
• A school bag
• A pencil case
• A small manageable snack for playtime
• A water bottle
• A packed lunch if they are not having school dinners.
• On the days P1 have PE they should come in a t-shirt, jogging bottoms and trainers.  They should wear their school jumper or cardigan on top of their t-shirt and they can remove this during the activity.

As always if you have any questions about your child’s transition please contact the school by e-mail.