5. Transition to School programme

Readiness for school at Melodies starts from age two. Everyday your child has the opportunity to explore and be involved in physical Smart Steps activities within music and play. These activities are specifically planned to allow your child to reach important physical milestones needed to read, write and process information. They also enjoy discovering and experiencing things that relate to the letter and number of the week. When your child shows an interest in writing they can join the afternoon Transition to School session, usually at age 4. At school time children understand what symbols such as letters and numbers mean and make meaningful connections to real experiences. They also understand the difference between the sound (phoneme) of a letter and the name of a letter. Phonological understanding (sounds of letters) is most important when learning to read.

Children understand what letters and numbers mean through real sensory experiences where children are involved in the learning. Children need lots and lots of these real experiences, gathering data to relate back to in order to make connections and understand what a written symbol represents.

iPads do not provide real sensory experiences therefore you will not see
these as a major learning tool in our transition to school programme.

‘Tell me I forget, show me I remember, involve me I understand’- Carl Orff

Excursions – We are a small preschool which allows us to be very mobile and easily organise excursions within the local community and beyond to extend children’s interests and provide real meaningful experiences. 4 year old children also enjoy excursions to their local Primary School to support them with the transition to school.