SETTLING-IN IN THE BRITISH KINDERGARTEN

Settling-in is the process in which children familiarise with the school environment and routine and separate from their main carers. Teachers and families come together as a team to support children during this delicate transition and support each other when needed. Of course every child is different and for some of them it took some time to confidently saying goodbye to their parent at drop-off, but overall the students are happy to come to the British Kindergarten, have made friends and are eager to participate in all activities. ù

The use of the English language was accepted very easily from all the class. We believe that the school routine is so important in order for children to learn this new language in a smooth and fun way. The teacher’s instructions of everyday actions have quickly been learnt by all the students in the Honeybees class, such as “Tidy up and pack away”, “Change your shoes”, “Put your jacket on”, etc.

Also the circle time in the morning is so important for the students to learn new vocabulary through songs, flashcards, games and books. Teachers also remind children to use some basic English words like “Please”, “Thank you”, “More water please”, etc. The children in the Honeybees class can already express their basic needs using English and have started to use some English words when talking about their experiences.
During the school day children can independently choose different resources, which develop their learning and skills and also the teachers offer a topic that as an input for the students to further develop and enrich their English.

One of the most important time of our school day is garden time. As well as playing in the garden, teachers plan lessons using natural and outdoor resources. It is a fun way do consolidate different
subjects. For example, we picked up leaves, observed the different colours and shapes and we also counted them. The teachers gently encourage children to be as independent as possible with everyday tasks such as, putting their jackets and shoes on. The relationship between families and school is of crucial importance. At the British Kindergarten we believe that families and school are a team, whose objective is for very child to experience a fun and happy learning. To better help parents during the settling-in process as well as during the whole school year, the Bolchini school has provided all the families with a personal diary for each child, where the teachers write important messages to the families and vice versa. Teachers also post weekly news, photos and a brief resume of what has been done during the week on the class Google Classroom.

Here below are some tips to help your child settling-in at school:

1) Talk to your child. Prepare him/her to this new adventure and reassure them if they have any worries. Ask them how their day went with simple questions, like “who made you laugh today?”, “did you something fun today?”. Sometimes the answer will be “nothing”, but, do not worry about it.
2) On the first day of school have a look the different school environments (bathroom, classroom, lunchroom) together. This will help your child with not worrying too much about the new settings and will boost their confidence.
3)Don’t get emotional. By all means sob your heart out around the corner, but if a child picks up that youare scared or anxious they sometimes feel that too. Project confidence. You could say things like ‘The teachers are here to look after you, if there is anything you want to talk about during the day, tell your teacher’.
4)Talk to the teacher. If you have any questions or need some advice teachers are always here to help both families and children.