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Prepare them for their return to the classroom this September with one of these soothing titles
If you have a child starting school this September, you might be feeling a mixture of emotions, as will your little one. This year is a particularly peculiar time to be sending your child off to school – you might not have ever seen the school or met your child’s teachers in person. It’s natural that there might be some nervous feelings arising.
A great way to prepare your child, and spend special time together, is by reading about what school might be like. It will help them to understand what to expect, and can often be a great conversation starter to delve into what school might be like for your child.
There are plenty of books out there about starting school, from the practical and straightforward, to titles that explore the more emotional side of the transition. Along with our pre-school testers, we spent months working through a pile of books that are written to help your child transition to school, to find the very best ones.
Penny Tassoni MBE, renowned early years expert and president of Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) says, “Sharing books about school can prompt children to ask questions about things that may seem trivial or obvious but have been bothering them. I would choose books that are realistic, as children may feel quite let down if their actual experience does not marry up to what they were expecting.”
We looked for stories that engaged our children, first and foremost, from original stories to illustrations that made us smile and had messages that resonated with us. Here are our top picks.
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For a thoughtful and smart message about perseverance without hammering home the back to school thing, Tilda Tries Again is brilliant. We found we talked about the book a lot while getting our child ready for starting school. And we also loved The Tale of Starting School keepsake book. Putting it together brought up great conversations and we feel it really helped prepare our child.
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