Supporting Transitions

It is a busy time of year supporting children through their transition to school and also assisting new children and families to transition into preschool.

Here are some great resources to assist children, families, and educators in this transition process.

School Transition

The Department of Education has released a range of getting ready for school resources and guides to support educators and families.

The Starting School Guide 2024 is a terrific resource for supporting transitioning to school.

For additional resources and guides to assist in preparing for school have a look at the Getting Ready for School page.

To support children with disability in preparing for school these getting ready for school guides are available in multiple languages: Getting ready for school – Disability (nsw.gov.au)

For practical advice and support for families in preparing their child for school take a look at this Learning Links article. This offers additional advice and support that can assist in preparing over the next couple of months and achieving a positive start to school.

Social Narratives

For children with additional needs, they require even greater support in transitioning and preparing for school. Social Narratives (otherwise known as social stories) are a great way to communicate what the child can expect and support them through the changing routines. The Social Narratives allow repeated communication about school and the routines in addition to the school visits and developmental preparation children have received.

Visit this page to access the starting school narratives in both Word and PDF allowing you to adapt and change the story to suit your preschool and the individual children: Starting school social narratives (nsw.gov.au)

Transitioning to Preschool

It is wonderful to see preschools in full swing of providing orientations and transitions for newly enrolled children to assist a smooth start in the new year. The Department of Education have also developed a range of resources to assist children and families in preparing for preschool.

There are a range of additional resources and guides to further support children and families with their transitioning at this page: Preparing for preschool (nsw.gov.au)

Social Narratives

It is also effective to provide children with social narratives for starting preschool. These can be developed and provided to families to assist children with developing routines and knowing what to expect when starting preschool. These are particularly useful for children with additional needs but can also be used for all children: Starting preschool social narratives (nsw.gov.au)

Separation Anxiety

If we take a moment to look forward towards the beginning of the new year. Children that are new to the preschool will require support and assistance to not only learn the routine, build skills of independence, but to also manage their emotions. It is imperative that we consider children’s emotional well being and have a good understanding of how to support children through their changing emotions.

Working in partnership with parents is imperative to assisting children who are experiencing separation anxiety. I have included a range of resources that can be shared with educators and parents to assist in understanding and supporting children who experience separation anxiety. I have also included further resources and Fact sheets to support children with managing their emotions.

• Video: Managing Separation Anxiety - Learning Links
• Managing Separation Anxiety in Children - Learning Links
• Learning Links_My Calm Hand_Colouring Sheet
• Emotional Co-Regulation Strategies - Learning Links
• How to Support Children Through a Meltdown - Learning Links

Some practical resources for use in the classroom include:

• Calm with the Very Hungry Caterpillar written by Eric Carle
• Sitting Still Like a Frog written by Eline Snel, CD Audio read by Myla Kabat-Zinn
• Hey Warrior written by Karen Young

You can find further resources at our SCB Inclusion Hub and the Learning Links web page.

Inclusion Hub

Learning Links Website

Professional Development Webinars

The department have released a new webinar series titled ‘Inclusive Education Programs for children with Disability’. I encourage staff across your programs to participate in this webinar series to enhance their knowledge of inclusive practices within the preschool setting.

This series of seven interactive webinars from Special Teaching and Research (STaR) outlines the delivery of quality educational programs for children with disability and developmental delays. You can watch the webinars here: Inclusive educational programs for children with disability (nsw.gov.au)

I also encourage staff to enrol in the free training on understanding and supporting children’s behaviour. It consists of six self-paced webinars plus follow up recorded Q&A webinars with Dr Louise Porter and Sandi Phoenix.

Understanding & supporting children's behaviour (thinkific.com)

We hope you all enjoy a wonderful break. Wishing you a very happy and safe holiday!

Learning Links Locations

www.learninglinks.org.au