Starting primary school is a both a rite of passage for all children and also a huge step for our precious little ones. They (and you!) may be feeling excited, or very nervous ... or a bit of both, and that is all completely normal. But what parents always want is for their child to be ready and feeling confident making the transition to "big school".

However, the truth is that Reception teachers have seen a steady decline in recent years of school starters having the key skills that children require to thrive at school. They report that fine motor, speech and language skills, toileting, independence, resilience and problem solving skills are at an all time low, leading to frustration and limited progress in their vital first year of school. And let's face it, these are Covid babies, and sadly many will have missed out on early development opportunities and socialisation so they are already at a disadvantage.

However, there are lots of practical things you can do this summer to level the playing field. Here at Time to Play Sensory, we believe that play is the single most important thing for our pre-schoolers! That's why I've created a package of playful activities, songs and games for parents to do with their child before September. Time to Play: School Ready is your complete pre-school toolkit for increasing confidence and getting both you and your child ready for starting school.