A Speech Therapist’s Tips for a Smooth School Transition

Written By Terrey Hope

Starting a new school year can be challenging for both parents and children. Being aware of the key components of school readiness and implementing an everyday routine is important for reducing the stress that you and your child may experience. Having a functional routine can help children feel prepared, confident and less stressed about transitioning into their new school (4).

Here are a few things to consider when setting out to create a smooth, effective routine that can help you and your child get ready for this new experience!

The Bedtime Routine

Waking up and going to sleep at the right time is so important for healthy, growing brains. Children who get less than 7 hours of sleep per night have been found to show difficulties in traits commonly associated with school readiness, such as early learning skills, self-regulation, Social Emotional Development, and physical health & motor development (2). Therefore, familiarizing your child with the sleep hours they will need is a vital part of school readiness.

The Visual Schedule

A visual schedule is used to help plan out the day. Each section of the schedule will give your child a visual representation of the activity/task they will be completing. These visuals are placed in the order that will be most beneficial. Visual schedules have also been found to be particularly helpful for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Specifically, the schedules have been found to help children with ASD adjust to new routines and transitions (1). Having a visual schedule that your child can use whenever they want will remove the element of surprise in their day, and give them time to mentally prepare for possibly stressful tasks. You can find a printable visual schedule template at the bottom of the page.

Download our free printable visual schedule example HERE. You may like to add titles to the example activities or create your own!

Social Connections

The ability to interact with others and behave in a socially acceptable manner is an important indicator of school readiness (3). To support your child in developing their social skills, it is recommended to create various opportunities to be around other children their age. Setting up playdates, going to the park with others, or joining a social group are all great ways of getting you and your child used to the social aspect of the school environment.

By being aware of these components of school readiness and implementing them into your child’s life, you are providing them with the skills to be successful on this new journey!

  1. Barnett, J., Zucker, S., & More, C. (2022). Visual Schedule to Promote Compliance with Bedtime Routine in a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 57(2), 196-203. https://www.proquest.com/docview/2667876391accountid=36155&parentSessionId=FLb7Oywb6HkyqD55nwIPZYi4iysIu5uTccZD2gy4w4o%3D&pqorigsite=primo&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals

  2. Jackson, D., Testa, A., & Semenza, D. (2021). Sleep Duration, Bedtime Consistency, and School Readiness: Findings from the 2016 to 2018 National Survey of Children's Health. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 42(7), 561-568. https://oce-ovid-com.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/article/00004703-202109000-00006/HTML

  3. Koopman, L., Munnik, E., Wagener, E., & Smith, M. (2024). Establishing reliability and construct validity for the revised Emotional Social Screening Tool for School Readiness (E3SR-R). South African Journal of Education, 44(2), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v44n2a2436

  4. Ren, L., Boise, C., & Cheung, R. (2022). Consistent routines matter: Child routines mediated the association between interparental functioning and school readiness. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 61(1), 145-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2022.07.002

Terrey Hope
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The Connection Between Movement and Communication