{"id":7336,"date":"2025-04-11T13:01:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T13:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/?p=7336"},"modified":"2025-04-11T13:02:38","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T13:02:38","slug":"getting-ready-for-school-with-monkey-puzzle-preschool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/getting-ready-for-school-with-monkey-puzzle-preschool\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Ready for School with Monkey Puzzle Preschool"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1419.6px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>Starting school is a big milestone, for both children and parents. At <strong>Monkey Puzzle West Kensington<\/strong>, and across all our Monkey Puzzle nurseries, we understand how important these early years are in building the foundations for confident, happy learners.<\/p>\n<p>Our <strong>preschool programmes are thoughtfully designed<\/strong> to support each child\u2019s unique development, while gently guiding them toward the routines, independence, and social skills they\u2019ll need when they move on to school. Here\u2019s how we do it, across the Monkey Puzzle family:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Building Strong Foundations in Literacy and Numeracy<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Early reading and writing skills<\/strong> are nurtured through a variety of engaging, hands-on experiences. We incorporate:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Daily story time and circle time<\/strong>, encouraging children to listen, recall, and build vocabulary<\/li>\n<li><strong>Phonics games and sensory mark-making<\/strong>, using paint, sand, or pencils to explore letters and sounds<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fine motor activities<\/strong>, such as threading, finger gyms, and drawing patterns, to build writing readiness<\/li>\n<li>Access to <strong>cosy book corners<\/strong> where children can explore books independently<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For <strong>maths<\/strong>, we embed learning into everyday routines:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Counting during mealtimes<\/strong>, lining up, and calendar activities<\/li>\n<li>Exploring <strong>shapes, measurements, and problem-solving<\/strong> through water play, puzzles, and group tasks<\/li>\n<li>Asking open-ended questions like \u201cHow many more do we need?\u201d to encourage early reasoning<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Social Development: Learning to Share, Solve and Speak Up<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Social and emotional growth is at the heart of school readiness. Across our nurseries, we help children:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Take turns, listen, and share<\/strong> through group games and circle time<\/li>\n<li>Build <strong>confidence and independence<\/strong> by speaking up during discussions and making their own choices<\/li>\n<li>Use <strong>emotion books and guided conversations<\/strong> to express feelings and resolve conflicts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Independence and Responsibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We promote independence in everything we do. Children are supported to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Choose and serve their own food at mealtimes<\/li>\n<li>Get dressed, manage their belongings, and help tidy up using labelled baskets and visual prompts<\/li>\n<li>Make decisions about what activities they\u2019d like to take part in and even help plan future ones!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>By encouraging responsibility in a safe, nurturing environment, children learn to trust themselves and feel confident in their choices.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>School Preparation That Feels Natural<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We work closely with local schools to ensure our preschool routines align with what children will experience within the schools. This includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Structured <strong>daily routines<\/strong> with visual timetables<\/li>\n<li>Practising key skills like <strong>potty training, dressing, and managing personal needs<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Creating <strong>transition books<\/strong> and inviting teachers to visit our nurseries, helping children feel familiar with their future classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We ask schools what they look for in a confident school starter\u2014then tailor our support to help each child get there, at their own pace.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Keeping Parents Connected Every Step of the Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We know that parents are their child\u2019s first and most important teacher. That\u2019s why we keep communication <strong>open and consistent<\/strong> through:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>Famly app<\/strong>, where you can view daily updates, photos, developmental observations, and assessments<\/li>\n<li>Regular <strong>face-to-face chats<\/strong> at drop-off and pick-up<\/li>\n<li><strong>Monthly or six-monthly assessments<\/strong> based on your child\u2019s progress and interests<\/li>\n<li><strong>Home learning ideas<\/strong> to support development outside of nursery<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Monkey Puzzle Difference<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>At Monkey Puzzle West Kensington our mission is to provide a <strong>warm, engaging, and empowering preschool experience<\/strong>. Our approach blends <strong>structured learning with creativity and play<\/strong>, allowing children to explore, express, and evolve as they get ready for school.<\/p>\n<p>From literacy and numeracy to self-care and social skills, we\u2019re here to make sure your child starts school not just ready, but excited.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Want to learn more or arrange a tour?<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/enquire-now\/\">Get in touch with us today<\/a>, we\u2019d love to show you what makes our preschool experience so special.<\/p>\n<p>Watch our Monkey Puzzle Preschool room leaders talk about what we do to prepare your children for school <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DITOoGITNTp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here.&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Starting school is a big milestone, for both children and parents. At Monkey Puzzle West Kensington, and across all our Monkey Puzzle nursery Preschools, we understand how important these early years are in building the foundations for confident, happy learners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"support_interest":[],"class_list":["post-7336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7336\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7336"},{"taxonomy":"support_interest","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monkeypuzzledaynurseries.com\/source\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/support_interest?post=7336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}