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Settling In To Nursery

Posted 18/9/2017

Starting nursery comes with its fair share of emotions for both the parent and the child. 

For the child, entering a new school environment filled with unfamiliar people can cause both anxiety and anticipation. For the parents, they may worry about whether their child is ready for nursery.

It can be a period of mixed emotions, and so making sure children settle smoothly into the nursery is very important.

Parents and carers are a child's first and foremost educators. Young children are eager learners and all adults have an important role in sustaining that ambition. This means forming strong parental partnerships is of critical value in the positive development of children - and why we place such a strong importance on it at Christchurch Kindergarten.

This partnership plays a key role in the 'transition' period for children, as they move from their home environment to their nursery. All staff at Christchurch Kindergarten are at hand to make sure every child's learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs. But to enhance this experience, each child will have one specific key person with whom the parent with interact with most.

This past week at Christchurch Kindergarten, we had many new children begin their own 'settling in' period. 

One of the first steps to this when parents and staffs work together to fill an 'All About Me' form, detailing the child's individual needs and how best they can 'transition' to nursery.

Another important part of settling in is having the parents stay at the nursery with their children, and then gradually leave the children to play without them. This allows the children to familiarise themselves with their new environment, and slowly get used to being away from their parents at nursery.

Lastly, our sensory rooms are very popular in helping children settle, as it provides them with new stimulus and opportunities to learn - and so distracting them from the fact they are now away from home.

If you have any questions on your child's settling in procedure, please speak to your child's Nursery Manager and/or Key Person.