Is My Child Ready for School?

How to Help Your Child Get School Ready: Early Literacy & Independence Skills for Starting Reception

If your child is starting school in September and you’re wondering how to get them ready, this guide covers the early literacy and independence skills that will set them up for success.

“Mum, do I have to go to big school?”

That was the question my friend’s four-year-old asked her last September—half curious, half terrified, holding onto her leg like a koala at the school gate. He had days when he was excited by the idea, and days where he would get upset - some days even both between leaving the house and the walk to school! I taught Reception for most of my career, so I have seen my fair share of the kids who bulldoze through the door ready to play with EVERYTHING, and the ones who want their parent to set up a mini work station in the corner of the classroom. Both types of children do amazingly - I promise. Reception is the year they thrive.

If you're anything like my friend, you might be asking yourself “Are we even ready?”. Starting school isn’t just a big milestone for your child—it’s a big one for you, too. I get it. Part of my job was making sure the parents were ok too - to be honest with you, most of the time I was consoling parents more than the children! Nothing truly prepares you for your child starting school - it's a whole new chapter of motherhood. But there are some things you can work on that will not only get your child ready for school, but will help them smash it!

If your little one is starting Reception in September, you’ve probably heard the term 'school readiness'. Maybe you've Googled it at midnight (more than once). Maybe you're wondering if they’re “behind” because they can’t write their name yet. Or maybe you're just overwhelmed by the idea of trying to squeeze any extra learning into your already packed days. To be real with you for a second, I hate the term 'school ready'. If you think about it, how can you be ready for something you've had no experience of? You can prepare, but no child will ever truly be ready to start school. That's what makes it scary, you've got to jump in feet first and work out how to swim as you go. 

Here’s the good news:
Your child may be jumping into Reception feet first, but there are things you can work on that will help them swim with confidence.

Readiness looks different for every child. Children start school with a huge range of experiences, strengths, and needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all checklist.

But if you’re looking for simple, doable ways to set your child’s early literacy and independence up for success —this post is for you.

What Does “School Ready” Really Mean?

“School readiness” isn’t about your child being able to read or write fluently before their first day.
It’s about helping them build the confidence, communication skills, and independence they’ll need to thrive in a new environment.

Here are two key areas to focus on between now and September:

1. Early Literacy Skills

These are the foundational skills that help children learn to read and write quicker and more accurately. You don’t need to - and I really can not stress this enough - teach your child to read or write before they start school. Focus on Phonological and Phonemic Awareness. (If you would like more information/content on this phase of phonics foundation, drop me a DM, or email me at [email protected]). 

Phonemic Awareness (hearing and playing with sounds)

• Can they hear rhymes in books and songs?

• Can they clap out syllables in their name or favourite words?

• Do they enjoy silly sound games like “I spy with my little eye something beginning with…?” or "The Alphabet Game" (name an animal, food, colour etc beginning with each letter of the alphabet).

Activities to try at home:

1. Share rhyming books like Oi Frog! or Room on the Broom and let them finish the rhymes.
2. Sound out words in your everyday conversation and encourage your child to put them together to say the word (e.g. Do you want h-a-m, or j-a-m?).
3. Sound hunts - can you find 3 things that start with a 'mmmmm' sound?

Fine Motor Skills (pre-writing strength)

• Can they hold a crayon or pencil with control?

• Can they use scissors, stack blocks, or play with playdough?

• Can they thread beads onto a shoelace or string?
• Can they begin to cut longer snips using a pair of child safe scissors?

Activities to try at home:

1. Let them draw, squeeze, cut, and build with playdough. Here is a blog post that shows you 15 different actions that build hand strength and coordination using playdough.
2. Think junk modelling over worksheets - do not fall into the trap of tracing to learn how to draw shapes, or write letters! Remember tracing is a fun activity, not a teaching tool. It is much more beneficial to let them draw and mark make freely, and model how to draw shapes to create a picture.
3. Let them help chop up the vegetables for dinner using child safe knives - Amazon have a ton of good, cheap options!

Print Awareness (understanding that print carries meaning)

• Do they know how to turn pages in a book? Can they hold the book and turn the pages themselves?

• Do they recognise familiar logos or signs?

• Do they pretend to “read” books on their own?

 Activities to try at home:

1. Read daily—even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Talk about the pictures and let them retell the story in their own way.
2. Encourage them to follow along under the words with their finger - they don't have to point to each word as you say it, this is more for developing the idea that print has meaning.
3. Practise recognising their name.

2. Independence Skills

At the beginning of every summer, just before the school year ended, I would hold a welcome meeting for all of the new parents who had child starting Reception in September. I would always make a point of saying "It's my job to teach the curriculum. It's your job to make sure they can be as independent as possible throughout the day.". Here are a list of independence skills that will truly take the pressure and any anxiety off your child:

• Put on their coat and attempt the zip, undoing their zip and hanging it up. Also recognising their own coat. You'd be surprised how often I would have children wearing each others coats (that look totally different) and not realise! Top tip: Attach a small keyring to their zip, or draw a little picture next to their name on the label - it will help them recognise it belongs to them.

• Go to the toilet independently (e.g. pulling down trousers, aiming, wiping, pulling up trousers, washing and drying hands, flushing the toilet) - I PROMISE you, there is nothing that will kill a kids attention span and ability to think quicker than knowing he needs a poo, and worrying about asking someone to help him wipe. Toilet training is a must for starting school, or as close to independent as you can get them. If you or your little one is struggling with toilet training, the 'Oh Crap! Potty Training' book by Jamie Glowacki is a gold mine!

• Open and close their lunchbox/bag, eating independently with a fork, knife, spoon - lunch time is a common point of anxiety for children during the school day. With all the different things going on in a school canteen - the noise, picking food, cutting up food, using a knife and fork by themselves, what to do when they've finished, what if they don't fancy eating anything that day, the list goes on...

• Get dressed and undressed by themselves (including socks!), and keep all of their belongings in one pile - I once taught a class who all liked to walk around as they were getting undressed, it was absolute bedlam trying to find the correct owner of the 24th white t-shirt with no name written inside! Just know that your child's teacher will probably learn what your child smells like - that's sometimes the only way to tell which sock belongs to which child.

• Putting things inside their school bag/taking things out. Whenever I would recommend practising this to parents, they would look at me as if I was crazy, but trust me, they need to practise.

• Practise tidying up and what that means/looks like. There's a specific order to tidying up that just makes sense - biggest to smallest, messiest to cleanest. Pick the bigger toys up first and put them in the basket, then pick up the smaller pieces. Put the paint away before picking up the floor mat.

Top tip: Encourage a little more independence each week. Practise school routines through role-play or a pretend "school morning" game.

Quick Wins for Busy Mums

No time for elaborate prep? No problem, you don't need it - you know I'm all about time efficiency here at The Little Reading Nest.

Here are 5 ways to sneak early literacy and 'school readiness' into your everyday:

1. Sing nursery rhymes in the car (great for phonemic awareness)

2. Let your child “write” the shopping list (scribbles count!)

3. Set a 2-minute tidy timer and race to clean up toys

4. Use snack time for sound games (“What’s the first sound in ‘banana’?”)

5. Model independence by slowing down and letting them try things first (even if it takes longer)

A Note From One Mum to Another

If you’re worrying that you haven’t done enough—please know this:

You’re doing an incredible job. School readiness isn’t about being perfect and looks different for every child. It’s about small steps, loving connection, and helping your child feel seen, safe, and supported.

You do not need to teach them the curriculum! Use this time to build the basic skills a teacher can not teach them. Whether they bounce into school or need a cuddle at the gate…
They’re not behind. You are not failing.

And if you’re ever feeling lost in the world of phonics, reading, or writing— I’ve got you.

Check out the latest blog posts here:

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