Five key skills to develop before Reception.

Getting the right foundations in place between the ages of 0-4 are critical for your child’s long-term educational chances; the pre-school years are the most magical time for exploration, discovery, and growth. As parents, caregivers, and educators, we play a crucial role in nurturing the young minds of pre-schoolers, equipping them with the essential skills they need to thrive in school and beyond.

Here are our top 5 key skills for pre-schoolers to develop before they join full-time school in Reception:

Socialisation: Developing social skills is crucial for pre-schoolers as they begin to interact with peers and adults in their new school. This includes learning how to share, take turns, cooperate, communicate effectively, and most importantly, resolve conflict peacefully.

Fine motor skills: Fine motor skills involve the coordination of small muscles in the hands and fingers. Activities such as drawing, colouring, cutting with scissors, playing with manipulative toys like blocks, beads, and puzzles help children refine their fine motor skills, which are essential for tasks like writing and buttoning clothes.

Language and communication: Building language and communication skills is vital for pre-schoolers to express themselves, understand others, and lay the groundwork for literacy development. To achieve this, read as much as possible and speak to your children as much as possible.

Memory and thinking skills: Expose your children to different problem-solving, critical thinking, memory, and basic numeracy tasks. Engaging in activities that encourage exploration, experimentation, sorting, categorizing, and counting helps stimulate cognitive development in young children; learning is so much more than knowing information, being able to use it is critical!

Gross motor skills: Get outside and have fun! Gross motor skills involve the coordination of large muscle groups and are important for physical development and overall health. Pre-schoolers should have opportunities to run, jump, climb, balance, and participate in activities that promote coordination and spatial awareness, such as outdoor play, dancing, and structured physical activities. Exercise and fun play are brilliant ways of reducing stress and emotional outbursts, even with very young children, and provide a cornerstone for sound mental health and wellbeing in the long-term. Purposeful children are happy children!

ESB Consulting

ESB Consulting is a Family and Education Consultancy. We offer complementary discovery calls to allow you to find out more about our services.

Sign up today for unlimited access:

• Book appointments
• Expert advice & tips
• Premium videos & audio
• Curated parenting newsletters
• Chat with your bloss community
• Discounts & competitions
• Special events