Are YOU ready for P1?

Parents, are YOU ready for your child to enter Primary One in a short 2 month's time?

Mummies and daddies, I'm talking about YOU. Not your child.

You see, your child is able to sense your emotions. Whether you are happy and relaxed or stressed and anxious. And they pick up those emotions too.

Mums and dads, try to transport yourself back 35 years ago when you entered Primary school. How did you feel? Were you nervous? Apprehensive? Your child may feel that roller coaster of emotions too.

Speak to your child, encourage them to express their fears or worries, and assure them as best as you can.

At our P1 Prep Camp, we reflect on our emotions at the end of each day. This helps our children to process all that they went through that day. The happy moments, challenging moments, as well as anxiety-producing ones.

In fact, our unique hands-on P1 Prep Camp simulates the different new experiences our little ones have to take on as they enter Big School. You see, in preschool, everything is done for them. All they need to do is to turn up at school.

Their books and worksheets are handed out to them as and when work needs to be done, food is provided during lunch or snack break and they are closely supervised.

However, in Primary school, they are expected to be in charge of a lot more!

They need to be able to read the timetable and pack their bags accordingly (some kids pack everything in, which results in a very heavy school bag!)

They need to write what homework has been assigned and to remember to complete it at home, AND to bring it back the next day, or whichever day as stated in their timetables (eg art lessons are every Tuesday, and the art piece is to be brought back the next Tuesday).

They need to be mindful of their own belongings (many kids have lost erasers, water bottles, wallets within the first month!)

They are given pocket money and need to be able to handle money and make sensible decisions to use the money to buy food, and not get tempted with the cute stationery at the book shop (a big headache for many mums! and some kids even lie about it)

They need to be able to manage carrying their bowl of noodle soup from the stall to their table (some kids find this so daunting that they stick to the same sandwich stall for many months until the fear is addressed!)

Many kids find it hard to go to sleep the night before because they have so many unknown worries, including "what if I get lost? the school looks big and scary", "what if I don't have any friends and I feel sad and lonely?", "what if the teachers are fierce?"

These are REAL WORRIES that our children voice out with the gentle guidance of our educators at our P1 Prep Camp.

We help our children process their fears and anxiety, and brainstorm solutions as a group. Not only does it help to reassure the child, but their new friends who may not have thought of such scenarios feel more confident that if those things happen, they will know what to do too!

We hear you, parents. And we are here to ease YOUR fears, as well as your child's.

Entering Primary One is one of the BIGGEST TRANSITIONS your child will have to face.

Get them well prepared so that they can adjust better to the change.

Read one mum's account of how our P1 Prep Camp helped her son J to feel more confident, comfortable and excited to start Primary One!

Register here for our P1 Prep Camp to get your child ready and excited for school!

Check out our TLE website for more information of our upcoming P1 Prep Camp dates, our FB page for photos of past year P1 Prep camps, and Youtube for P1 Prep Camp videos.