Preparing for Primary One- Doggie Boy Style (Physical Preparations)

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Parenting Views Preparing for primary one, primary 1, Singapore education

Primary 1 series 2012

Doggie boy

In the last installment in this series I mentioned about how I was preparing Doggie boy mentally for Primary One next year. In this post I will be touching on how I prepare him physically. I believe that it is important to preparing him both physically and mentally for the challenges that he will be facing come 2013.

Doggie boy is a rather active boy. He loves to play in the park and playing at playgrounds. We registered him for swimming lessons since he was 4 yrs old as he loves the water and wanted to go for swimming lessons with his elder brother.

I find swimming a great sport to start him in and it is a life skill which he should know in order to survive as we live on an island surrounded by the seas. Since starting swimming lesson he has been looking forward to his Saturdays mornings as he can go to the pool. We have also started taking him to the pool on Saturday afternoons so that Tiger girl too can enjoy playing in the pool while her brothers go on the water slides and swim together with R in the big pool.

On Sundays we bring the kids bowling and to the playground in the park if the weather permits. We also go cycling and walking on alternative Sundays. I make him take the stairs with me when we are out and he too helps to carry the groceries when we go out shopping.

School bags

Next year he will be carrying his school bag all by himself and it isn’t that light. Even though we have got him an ergo designed Deuter bag it still would be at least 3-5kg heavy with all the books inside. Doggie boy has to be physically fit in order to be able to carry the bag himself and bring it from the school bus to the classroom. On certain days he may have to carry an art folio bag or additional items to school depending on his timetable. He would certainly need to be able to carry these items without any help and to be able to do so he needs to be physically fit.

Doggie boy will be exposed to a larger number of kids in a primary school as compared to a Kindergarten. There is a higher chance of him falling ill due to the viruses which maybe spreading in the air around him. . Keeping him healthy is one of my main priorities with him. Keeping him physically active, coupled with a balance diet and enough sleep is my game plan to get him physically prepared for Primary 1.

What is yours?

In the next installation of this series we will be having a guest post from Jiahui from Mum’s the word about her experience of as a mom of a girl who is currently in Primary 1.

Post in this series

November 11, 2012

Preparation for Primary One- Doggie Boy Style (Mental Preparations)

Dominique Parenting and Kids, Parenting Views, Recommendations preparing for primary 1, primary 1, Singapore education

Primary 1 series 2012

This weekend marks a new milestone for Doggie boy as it is P1 orientation for him. It will be his first formal introduction to the Primary school which he will be going to from 2013. It will be a new learning environment for him as he enters the same school that his elder brother is currently studying in.

Doggie boy character is slightly different from Monkey boy. He is not as outspoken and forthcoming as his elder brother. Being more shy and reserved in nature it has been quite difficult getting him to open up and speak up.

It takes him a longer time to process new information and there is need for more revision on the same topic for him to be able to register what is being taught to him. Doggie boy needs more one on one focus as compared to his brother and more breaks in between study sessions.

Regarding academic development

I have tried a few different methods with him and found that he relates better to visual stimulation as compared to just pen and paper talk. Taking into consideration his attention span we came up with a schedule which was agreeable for the both of us.

	After school	Weekend
Down time	TV/ Playtime (1/2 hr)	TV/Playtime (1 hr)
Dinner	Max 1 hr	Max 1 hr
Piano Practice	30 min	30 min
Academic revision	Eng/Maths/Chinese (1.5 hr max)	Eng/Maths/Chinese(2hr max)
Reading	Eng/Chinese (1hr max)	Eng/Chinese (1hr min)
Bible reading		30 min

I do not specify that we need to cover all these items per day but the bulk of it. I believe in frequent revision and having a set schedule will make it easier for Doggie boy to adjust to the new study/ play timetable that he would be having next year.

He gets to choose which activity he would like to do first. The only requirement is that he completes the assigned work before bedtime. I try to cover all three subjects with him during the weekdays however sometimes time doesn’t permit or he is too tired for the day we will cover less.

I do a combination of direct and incidental learning with him using a variety of teaching materials. Kids at this age are unable to sit still for long period of time and require different mediums to keep them stimulated.

We go through a selection of activity books, assessment books, flash cards, game sets, online educational programs, iPad Apps and hands on learning each week. I also infuse learning into the everyday chores which he does around the house.

For example, while hanging up the clothes I may ask him to describe the particular shirt that we are placing up onto the laundry poles in both English and Mandarin. I may also throw in a simple mathematical question for him in the mix on certain occasions to get his mind thinking on the go.

Regarding social development

Doggie boy does have play dates with other kids outside school. This gives him chance to interact with more kids in a range of ages and learn to be able to relate to different personalities.

While outside with Doggie boy I do let him order food, interact with the waiters and pay for our groceries. This gives him the chance to experience handling cash and interacting with other adults. It also gives him a chance to build up his confidence. It is also indirectly preparing him for show and tell which he would be facing next year.