Kornmehl

Terry Aizen- Director Kornmehl

Burger Centre visits

Both the Starfish and Dolphins visited the Burger Centre this week to sing for the elderly visitors, who are always delighted to see the children and to join in with the singing. Taking the children out into the wider community has many advantages for both parties. It’s important for the children to realise that they are part of a wider community and that they can make such a big difference in someone’s life. The children bring joy and happiness through the power of song, music and just their presence. Teaching the children to have empathy and an emotional connection to elderly members of our community builds their confidence, resilience, as well as feelings of worth and positivity. All of these factors were evident in our visits this week.

Below are some of the children’s comments:

Preparations for going to school

Each child responds differently to changes and each child will deal differently with the transition into school. Children need help to adjust to the rules and way of doing things that school offers. Some of these changes include:

The physical environment is bigger with playgrounds that are shared with older children and facilities spread across a wide campus.
Routines may be a lot more structured, with set times to eat, play, go to the library or the toilet.
Relationships may be more complicated than previously, where the child will have to learn to relate to different teachers, specialist teachers and lots of different children across many age groups.

Children who make a positive start to school are more likely to feel comfortable, relaxed and valued, good about themselves as learners and develop a sense of belonging to the school community.

It is important for parents to talk positively about going to school, without building up unrealistic expectations. Try to listen to any concerns your child may have and answer any questions. Make sure your child attends the school’s orientation programs usually held in Term 4. If necessary take them for a walk around the School, pointing out their classroom and mapping the journey from the room to the toilets, library and other key facilities.

Below are a few tips to think about:

Personal skills – include the ability to look after yourself and your belongings, to manage your time and get tasks done and understand that particular rules and routines apply in each situation.
Relationship skills – include being able to join in games, take turns, make and maintain friends and learn how to talk with less familiar adults.
Learning skills – include being able to keep going with a task, knowing how to ask and answer questions, how to listen to and follow instructions and having a positive disposition or attitude towards learning new things.

Parents are the safe base from which children can move out to explore the world, to learn and grow and become socially confident, responsible young people.

Things you can do to build your child’s personal, social and learning capacity:

Gradually ask your child to take responsibility for organising their belongings eg setting out clothes for the next day.
Give your child small manageable responsibilities at home, such as cleaning up, setting the table, clearing their plate, putting their toys away.
Involve your child in family decisions according to their age and ability; offer them choices about what to wear, what they want to eat, or where the family could go on an outing.
Talk about the different rules that apply for different situations e.g. wearing a seatbelt in the car, crossing a road, in the park, at the pool and so on.
Play games as a family and remind children about rules and turn taking.
Invite children over to play and guide your child into joining in and making friends. It’s important for parents to model kindness and respect.
Sit with your child doing small tasks, encouraging them to persist and solve problems.
Read books and develop your child’s listening skills, concentration, comprehension, thinking and conversation.
Encourage your child to explore, be curious, come up with questions and investigate how things work.
Encourage your child to be independent, to believe in themselves and to take some risks in a protected way.
Teach your child that things don’t always work out the way we want them to, but that we can learn from every situation and to keep trying until we succeed.