Starting School

​My little dude turned 4 yesterday! In the UK children enter school in the September after their 4th birthday (officially they can wait, but most don't) so school is just around the corner for him! Not only is he a super young school starter, but he left his nursery class in March which means the routine and social interaction of an educational setting is a distant memory. Aside from a 2-hour transition/closure session, he’s been with us every minute of every day since March 20th. That’s 157 days. I can’t even begin to imagine how it will feel to him to head off to full time school next week. He seems to feel positive about it, but even so, I think it’s so important to prepare and reassure our children for a return to school or to start their school journey.

Dr Sarah Mundy, from Parenting through Stories, kindly sent me Please Stay Near – I want you near, a book about separation anxiety from her range of Bartley Books that support parents to deal with a range of children’s big feelings. Mini Scribbler and I have been reading it as part of his preparation for school, helping him to transition from life at home to school. It’s so helpful on both a child and parent level. The interactive ‘lift the flaps’ are a hit with my little man and he’s clearly internalised the message, telling me he’ll be happy at school! 

But this isn’t just any story book. It does a fabulous job of helping me, as the parent, have a supportive conversation with Mini Scribbler, opening a path for exploring how he feels with question prompts and parent advice. I just love how this book takes an extra step and supports parents to have important conversations. It's hard for parents to know what to say and how to help little ones, but this realistic and accessible book is a fabulous support for navigating the challenging emotions around this milestone. Dr Sarah Mundy has also written a Parenting Handbook (e-book) to support parents in using her Bartley’s Books and gives further parenting support based on her clinical work and knowledge as a Psychologist. There is excellent, and again realistic guidance, based around Attachment Theory and the PACE model. I’m currently reading through it, and the thing that really stands out to me is how supportive it feels. As a parent of 3 boys, she knows that parenting isn’t easy and her honest experiences of being a mum are reassuring! The resources that Parenting through Stories have created are such a positive blend of parental support and giving children a voice. I love how they support the parent and child relationship. Their mission fits so well with our own here at Ink and Scribbles that I just had to share!

You can find Dr Mundy's range of Bartley's Books and Parenting Handbook on amazon or find her on social media at @parenting_through_stories (instagram) @parentingthroughstories (facebook).
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