Getting Your Little One School Ready: More Than Just ABCs and 123s
- littlelearnerstuto
- Aug 27
- 4 min read
Starting school is such a huge milestone. It can be a time filled with excitement, pride, anticipation and perhaps a few emotional tears along the way!
As a parent, you naturally want to give your little one the best possible start. But being “school ready” isn't simply about knowing their letters and numbers. It’s also about building confidence, independence, communication skills and a positive attitude towards learning.
If you have a little one starting school this September 2026, this one is for you…
School Readiness: It’s About So Much More Than Academics
It’s completely natural to wonder whether your child knows enough before they start school. Can they recognise their letters? Can they write their name? Can they count?
These skills are useful, but school readiness goes far beyond what your child can do on paper. It’s about helping them feel confident in themselves, encouraging independence and giving them opportunities to explore, communicate, problem-solve and learn through play.
Here are some simple ways you can help prepare your child for their big adventure:
1. Encourage Independence with Dressing & Self-Care
Reception classrooms can be busy places, so having some independence with everyday tasks can make a huge difference to your child’s confidence.
Things such as using the toilet, putting on their coat or changing for PE can seem tricky if they’re used to having an adult do everything for them.
Before school starts, encourage your child to practise:
Wearing their school uniform and managing buttons, zips and fastenings.
Using the toilet independently and remembering to wash their hands.
Putting on and taking off their shoes.
Putting on and taking off their coat.
Having a go at changing clothes independently.
Of course, accidents happen, and EYFS staff are there to support children when they need it. But giving your little one plenty of opportunities to practise these everyday skills can help them feel much more confident when they start school.
2. Never Underestimate the Power of Play
Play really is the foundation of so much early learning.
Through play, children develop their communication, social skills, problem-solving abilities, creativity, resilience and confidence—all without feeling like they are “doing school work”.
Try incorporating plenty of opportunities for:
Games that encourage turn-taking and patience.
Role play to develop imagination, communication and confidence.
Outdoor play to develop gross motor skills.
Puzzles and simple problem-solving games.
Playing alongside others and practising sharing.
The best part? Learning through play should feel fun!
3. Talk, Talk and Talk Some More!
One of the simplest ways to support your child’s school readiness is through everyday conversation.
Talking together helps develop vocabulary, listening skills, comprehension and confidence when communicating with others.
Try swapping questions such as “Did you have fun today?” for questions that encourage your child to think and explain:
“What was your favourite part of today?”
“What made you laugh?”
“How did that make you feel?”
“What do you think might happen next?”
There doesn’t need to be a right or wrong answer. The aim is simply to encourage your child to share their ideas, thoughts and feelings.
4. Build Those Fine Motor Skills
Those little hand muscles are going to be doing lots of work once school starts!
Fine motor skills support everything from drawing and writing to using scissors, fastening buttons and opening lunch boxes. Building strength and coordination through everyday activities can make these tasks much easier.
Why not try:
Colouring and drawing.
Playing with playdough.
Using tweezers to pick up small objects.
Threading beads, pasta or cereal onto string.
Building with LEGO.
Using scissors safely.
Practising buttons, zips and other fastenings.
These activities might look like simple play, but they’re helping develop the hand strength, control and coordination your child will need in the classroom.
5. One of the First Steps Towards Reading: Oral Blending
Reading doesn't suddenly begin when your child picks up their first school reading book. There are lots of skills that come first!
One of these is oral blending which is being able to hear separate sounds and blend them together to make a word.
You can introduce this naturally during everyday activities:
“Can you put on your s-o-ck-s?”
“Shall we feed the d-o-g?”
“Where are your sh-oe-s?”
Give your child plenty of time to have a go at blending the sounds together. Keep it playful and don't worry if they don't get it straight away.
6. Have Fun with Initial Sounds
Another great pre-reading skill is helping your child recognise the first sound in a word.
You can model this naturally throughout the day:
“Look, a cat! Cat starts with /c/.”
“I can see a ball. Ball starts with /b/.”
You could also play a sound-based version of I Spy:
“I spy with my little eye something beginning with /s/…”
See how many objects you can find around the house that start with the same sound.
Remember, at this stage, it’s the sound that matters rather than the letter name.
7. Make Rhyming Part of Everyday Fun
Rhyming is another lovely way to support early reading development. It helps children listen carefully to the sounds in words and notice patterns in language.
Keep it simple and fun with:
Nursery rhymes.
Rhyming storybooks.
Singing songs together.
Matching rhyming pairs such as cat/hat or dog/log.
Making up silly rhyming words together.
And don't worry if the rhymes get a little bit ridiculous - sometimes those are the ones children enjoy the most!
Supporting Their Reading Journey from Day One
Getting your child ready for school isn't about sitting them down with endless worksheets, flashcards or formal activities.
It’s about giving them opportunities to play, talk, explore, practise independence and enjoy language.
By building these foundations at home, you can help your little one walk through those school gates feeling more confident, capable and excited about what’s ahead.
And remember, there is no need for your child to be “perfectly ready”. Every child develops at their own pace, and their new school will support them as they settle into this next stage.
For even more fun, play-based ideas to support early phonics and reading, take a look at my Ultimate Phonics Through Playbooks. They’re designed to make phonics fun, engaging and completely stress-free for both you and your little learner.
Starting school is a big emotional milestone for the whole family. So take a breath, enjoy these final weeks together and remember - you’re already doing more than you think to prepare your little one for their exciting new adventure! 💛
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