Psychologist at NHC Health Centres Zaakiyah Mohamed–Kaloo gives practical safety tips on how to help Grade 1s adjust better to life in Big School.
- Make sure your child has a list of emergency contact numbers in their school bag. It’s an exciting and new environment for the child; some may get carried away while exploring the school and end up in the wrong place or getting lost.
- If there is no older sibling or relative at the school, help your child to become familiar with an adult at the school – someone with whom they can feel comfortable enough to talk to if there is any kind of problem. This will also help put them at ease of not having you around while they adjust to the new environment.
- Teach your child about hygiene – Get them in the habit of washing their hands before a meal at home/after using the toilet, without being asked. This way they will be confident and independent enough to do it at school without supervision.
- Label their clothing – As school uniform looks the same, your child may mistakenly take the wrong jersey after playing on the playground. Teach them to also check their label before taking the clothing item.
- Keep a pocket pack of tissues and wet wipes in their school bag – This can save the stickiest and messiest situations during lunch time. In nursery school the child may be used to the caretaker helping them clean up. It might take a bit of practice for them to clean up that smudge of tomato sauce on their school skirt, but they will soon get the hang of it.
- The playground in primary school can prove to be a lot more challenging – There may be a bit of pushing and shoving from the older kids, to get the first go at the swing. Talk to your child about this. Teach them to find other ways of entertaining themselves, should they find the jungle gym intimidating. This will also prevent possible injuries as the bigger kids may tend to push the smaller ones out of the way.
- Teach your child about road safety – As kids are allowed to leave the school grounds by themselves to get to their school transport, your child might get confused and follow the crowd. Make sure you familiarise them to a specific pick-up spot, to avoid confusing them or having them wander around.
- By age of 7, it is recommended that your child be vaccinated for various diseases. According to the Expanded Programme on Immunisation in South Africa (EPI-SA) all children should be vaccinated against tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, haemophilus influenza type B and rotavirus.
