5 Thing I Learned When My Daughter Started School

Heading into the last term of reception year, I am reflecting on how much I have learnt personally as a mother of a school starter. It has no doubt been an unusual year and with the mix of in-school learning and at-home learning it has given me an insight into what the first year of school entails. This time last year I was so nervous about what to expect. I had her school uniform ordered the minute I knew which school she would be attending. I was making sure she knew her ABC’s and checking how far she could count. I tried my hardest to prepare my 4 year old for a completely new experience. What I hadn’t prepared for was what I was about to learn. Here are 5 things that I learnt when my daughter started school.

1 - I was completely unprepared for how I would feel when she started going to school. All of a sudden my little companion that had been with me pretty much every day for the past five years wasn’t by my side anymore. I had an almost two year old to keep me busy but I honestly had a feeling of loss with her not being with me all the time. In a strange way I felt as if I was grieving those baby years. This lasted most of the first term but what really helped was seeing her blossom and settle into school so well. There were a few teething troubles, which was to be expected but they were resolved quickly and we all fell into a new routine.

2 - My daughter has grown up so much in the first year. She has gone from being a mummy’s girl, always needing me close by to being an independent young girl with her own thoughts and opinions. Don’t get me wrong, she is still as much of a mummy’s girl but she is taking those first steps of not needing me as much as she did which is an honour to watch but bittersweet all at the same time.

3 - Reception year is mostly about getting used to a school routine. They have their main lessons around reading, writing and numbers but a lot of this is incorporated into play. It is one step up from a Pre-school setting. All the time spent panicking she may not know everything she should do at the start of the school year was unnecessary as their wonderful teachers get them up to speed in their own time. We all know kids learn things when they are ready to and not when us adults think they should.

4 - After school fall-out is a thing. After spending six hours in a classroom taking in a lot of information (even when it is through play) it can lead to a lot of pent up exhaustion. Home is their safe place and where they feel most comfortable to release those emotions so be prepared for having to use a lot of patience (and perhaps an alcoholic drink of your choice) to get you through to bedtime.

5 - Snacks! Always have a snack at pick up. This will hopefully help you get home with as little emotional fall-out as possible. I personally have fallen into the trap of bringing a small chocolate bar with me (forgetting to bring it, is a big mistake!) But hey, whatever works right?!

Starting school is such a big life event for everyone involved. Be kind to yourself and take it one day at a time. Make the most of those school holidays, however that looks for you and remember you managed to bring that baby home and raise them into wonderful little beings ready to take on the next stage of their lives. You rock!

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By Laura (@laurasartycreations)

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Love Charlotte and Laura