The night before

• Lay out your child's clothes, shoes and socks.
• Make your child's morning tea and lunch and pop it in the fridge.
• Help your child pack their school bag.
• Pack a spare pair of underpants, socks and a change of clothes. Let your child know these are there in case they have any toilet accidents at school.

On the day

• Be confident with your child and let them dress themselves as much as possible.
• Tie back or plait long hair.
• Apply sunscreen and take a hat.
• Don't forget to take photos.
• Pick your child up on time.

Don't forget

• Write down the date your child will start school and keep it in your diary - or even on the fridge.
• Make sure your child can use the toilet independently - including urinals for boys - and practise good hand-washing techniques.
• Write your child's name on all their school things and involve your child in organising them and
  recognising their name.
• Make sure your child's name is not visible on the outside of anything they'll be wearing to and from school.

Try this

• Set up a play date for your child to play with a friend.
• Check out the local library and let your child choose books to borrow.
• Take a ball to a park to throw, catch and kick together.
• Organise a picnic with a packed lunch and encourage your child to open it and eat the food by themselves.
• Read Daisy's First Day (PDF 5650.96KB) together.

Let your child practise:

• putting on their school shoes and walking in them
• dressing in their school uniform
• writing alphabet letters
• drinking from bubblers
• cutting and pasting pictures from a magazine and drawing pictures.

Attending school

Going to school every day is important, and Kindergarten sets children up for the rest of their schooling.

What your child learns each day builds on what they learned the day before. If your child misses school, their learning routine is broken, so they can lose confidence and miss out on building their friendships.

You have a legal responsibility to send your children to school every school day.

If your child misses school due to illness, religious reasons or family circumstances, talk to your child's teacher and remember to send a signed note explaining the reason for their absence.

If your child arrives at school late or needs to leave early, you will need to go to the office to sign your child in or out.

If you're having difficulty getting your child to school every day and on time, talk to the teacher or principal.