THOUSANDS OF four- and five-year-olds all around the country are checking new uniforms and locating lunch boxes this weekend in advance of their first day at school in the coming week.
Primary schools begin reopening from Monday, and all will be open by Thursday, September 1st. Secondary schools will also be in full swing in the coming week.
Motorists, accustomed to the lighter traffic of summer, will have to readjust to 9am traffic jams as parents rush to the school gates.
Thousands of pre-schoolers will also begin a new experience when they take their first formal step on the education ladder next week.
Up to 70,000 children are expected to take up free pre-school places under the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme, introduced in 2009.
Irene Gunning, chief executive of the Irish Preschool Play Association, emphasised the importance of preparing children ahead of their first day. She said being organised ensured no one was unduly stressed. Parents should decide in advance whether they intended to walk or drive to their destination, and should ensure bags and lunch boxes were easy to manage. Clothes should be comfortable and suitable for play.
“Talk to your child about preschool over the coming days, but resist the temptation of hyping it up too much as the child might be totally underwhelmed with the reality,” Ms Gunning said.
She advised parents to tell their children in advance who would be dropping them off and collecting them. They should be given a sense of how long their hours at pre-school would be.
Children were alert to emotional messages sent out by parents, Ms Gunning added. It was important not to panic or cry in front of them. Parents who do shed a few tears should say this is because they are happy. If the child cries it is best to follow the teacher’s lead, she advised.
“Often children who come in the door crying are okay and laughing five minutes later,” she said. “Rest assured that if your child is not settling the teacher will contact you.” She emphasised the importance of picking up children at the correct time. “Children can fret when they see other children leave before them,” she said.
