Top tips
for the start of term
By: Emma Jayne Morgan
Children need lots of opportunities to run around,
develop their gross motor skills and use up some of
their excess energy. A brilliant game that allows
children to do this is called “Bumper Cars”.
To play this game you will need a large open space
and a hula hoop for each child.
Explain to the children that the hoop is their ‘car’ and
they should not bump anyone else’s’ car. Children
choose a hoop, step into it and hold it waist level.
Children must navigate space, moving to the
instructions without bumping into anyone else’s car.
There are two ways to play the game depending on
the age and understanding of the children
What does a teacher need to do to survive? Here are eight handy survival skills:
1. Be prepared to change your plans – When working with children never assume that things will go to plan. It
is very important to be flexible to the needs of the individual children in your class, so try not to imagine
how the first day will go, as you will no doubt be disappointed.
2. Name tags – It is very difficult to remember all the children’s names from the first day, so use sticky name
tags to assist you, ask children to decorate them before you apply them to make them more personal. Use
their names as often as possible to help you to remember them, but also to create a sense of familiarity
which will help with settling in.
3. Golden rules – Introduce your setting’s golden rules right from the beginning so that all children are aware
of the boundaries. Try to keep them positive, refer to the behaviour you want to see rather than what you
don’t want e.g. Be kind to one another rather than don’t push.
4. Transition times - Minimize transition times as much as possible. For example, provide continuous
provision and change things gradually rather than moving from place to place. Starting school is already a
huge change without there being smaller ones throughout the day for the children to cope with.
5. Keep students busy – Provide “short and sweet” whole group activities, children new to the setting will not
be able to sit still for long, and then smaller group activities should be play based and with a range of
activities to suit everyone.