The day's finally arrived: your little darling is going to make that giant leap into real schooldom: the first day of grade 1! As wonderful as it is to see them in all their uniformed glory, tearfully snapping a hundred pics of every second of that special morning's moment; your little nervous, smiling, hair-combed child will probably be just as nervous as you are.

Put them at ease by letting them help you pick out and pack their school bag (if the school does not demand a compulsory kit), let them choose their lunch box and break-time snacks (go easy on them in the beginning - put a treat in every once in a while as appreciation for their bravery) and most importantly, make them feel at ease and excited at the prospects of making new friends and learning exciting new things.  

It's understandable that you might feel at least a little trepidation at this particular milestone in your parenting profession: two major questions of self-doubt churn in the pit of your stomach: did I choose the right school and is my child mentally ready for it?! Here is some sound advice on how to deal with going from kindergarten fun to all-grown-up-now Grade 1.

Choosing the Right School: Do Your Research

Whether you have lived in the same neighborhood since you were a kid yourself, or whether your family has recently made a big move, networking with other parents in the community will provide a solid backbone of information for you to start from. Cast a wide net in your research: don't limit yourself to the closest neighborhood; the more options, the better. Once you've settled on your preferred areas, start researching schools. Schoolguide is a great place to start! Take into consideration factors such as enrollment, student diversity, language instruction, student-teacher ratio, curriculum (which you will find on any good school's website) and most importantly, consider affordability. Don't limit yourself on one that sounds a dream: visit a few first. You will get a real feel for a place once you've actually been there.

Is My Child Ready for Grade 1?

There are well-researched, universal factors determining whether your child is ready for grade 1. If they've been in preschool for a few years already, they will have acquired plenty of social skills to enable them to exist within a big school environment, even if the hours are longer. If you have any doubt on whether your child has accumulated enough educational skills to progress, the best thing to do, albeit costly, would be to take your child to an educational psychologist who will put your mind at ease. Whether the child is on par with his peers or will catch up next year, don't stunt your child's individuality and confidence by forcing him to conform to what must be thought of as only guidelines and do not necessarily apply to every single child of the same age.

In South Africa, a child must turn a minimum of 7 years old to enter Grade 1. By the time play-school is done, your child should be able to read and write his name and read about 75 to 100 sight words, in capitals and lower case. He should have a knowledge of very basic addition and subtraction skills up to the number 10, and count and write numerals to 50 both forward and backward and also recognize numbers out of sequence. She must also be able to recognize basic colour words. An understanding of possession i.e. the child should know his full name, address, phone number and birth date along with what belongs to him - bag, sport kit, lunchbox, pencil case, etc. Don't worry if your child hasn't met all these guidelines; the teachers are there to ensure that everyone is on the same page by the end of the year! 

Finally, breathe! It's a wonderful moment for both parent and child. Remember, children are incredibly resilient, and if you stay calm and supportive, they will thrive in any environment.