Prep for Parents: What Preps Learn

15 February 2012

During their first year of school children focus on reading, writing, spelling, maths and problem-solving. Preps are at a stage where they’re exploring the world around them, and developing physical, creative and technical skills, like using a computer.

To find out more about what’s coming up in your child’s learning, ask your child’s teacher. Some topics they may be learning about include:

• English – developing a working understanding of how sounds are represented alphabetically; learning to read and write, drawing on their knowledge of the alphabet and its relationship with the sounds the letters and words make; and listening to and responding to a range of simple texts, including books read aloud, audio tapes, and films.
• Mathematics – learning to count to 20; relating the items counted to the actual number (for example four children with blue tops); placing objects in order (such as first, second, third) and grouping them in sets (all round objects or red blocks together); using everyday objects to identify and describe points, lines, edges and surfaces; and comparing objects using terms such as longer, heavier, fuller and hotter.
• Science – exploring things like day and night, the seasons, and living and non-living things; identifying and describing things that are similar, using things like size, shape, colour and weight.
• Health and physical education – developing skills such as running, skipping, catching, throwing, kicking and balancing. Activities such as dance, gymnastics and games help children progressively gain control of their movements.
• Interpersonal development – developing skills that let them work and play together in a group, including taking turns and sharing, as well as listening to others and beginning to understand how their actions affect others.
• Civics and citizenship – learning about respect, concern for others, and being fair; recognising rules and why they are needed, and comparing classroom and family rules with other rules, such as those used in games and sport.
• The Arts – discussing the things they are creating and, with guidance, beginning to describe their own and others’ work.
• The Humanities – beginning to understand their local area by investigating the location, direction and distance of their home, school, local parks and shops to each other; as well as exploring how and why natural factors and human activities affect their lives.

To help support their learning, ask your child what they did in class today, and build this question into their routine - make it something that they expect and are happy to answer every day.

Related links

• In the Classroom – the Prep classroom is an exciting and stimulating place where your child will be challenged and supported
• Learning at School – an overview of our teachers, the school curriculum, and the six stages of learning
• Prep to Year 4 – where students are encouraged to make sense of the world around them through real-life experiences
• Victorian Essential Leaning Standards Level 1 (Prep) – access to everything that will be taught during the first year of school.

Share your stories

Thank you for sending in your stories.

Clare's story

My daughter started Prep last week and overall she is having a great time and very chatty about all the things she has done throughout the day. 

I have found two things have really helped to keep her relaxed over these initial days. I always take a healthy snack I know she will love for her to have as soon as she walks out the door [after school]. She is always hungry and tired and it seems to calm her down and keep her going until dinnertime without too much fuss. 

The other thing we do is 'relaxation' before sleeping, she chooses a topic like princesses and I talk her through a scenario that she can imagine in her mind. After a few minutes we talk about what she saw in her mind. This has been a great transition between getting into bed and falling asleep and she asks every night 'can we do relaxation Mum?’

 

Would you like to see your story here? Tell us in 200 to 250 words something about your child, your own experiences, or a handy hint you've discovered so we can share this with everyone. Email your story to online.comms.unit

Next week

Next week we’ll explore how your child learns and things you can do to develop and encourage their curiosity.