Starting Reception: checklist, gifts and settling in tips

This guide covers what the first weeks usually look like, a starting Reception checklist, how to help your child settle in, the big feelings that can come up, and a few small gifts that make the first day feel a little braver.

Starting Reception: what the first weeks usually look like

Every school does things its own way, so the letters and the welcome meeting are your best guide. Still, a few things are common:

• Many schools offer a visit, a stay-and-play session or a meeting with the teacher before September.
• Some stagger the start, with half days or small groups for the first week or two.
• Learning in Reception is mostly through play: building, painting, outdoor play, songs and stories, with early letters, sounds and numbers woven in.
• There is usually a book bag, a reading record and, before long, a first reading book coming home.

Knowing roughly what will happen helps your child picture it. Walk past the school, look at the playground through the fence and talk about the door they will go through.

Starting Reception checklist

A little preparation over the summer makes September much smoother. A practical starting Reception checklist:

• Uniform tried on, with everything labelled: jumper, cardigan, coat, shoes, PE kit.
• Shoes with Velcro or easy fastenings, and a coat they can zip up on their own.
• A water bottle and a book bag, both labelled.
• A spare set of clothes in a bag, if the school asks for one.
• Wellies and waterproofs for outdoor play, if needed.
• School dinners or a packed lunch decided, and a lunchbox they can open themselves.
• Forms returned: medical information, emergency contacts, consents.
• Practice at home: going to the toilet alone, washing hands, putting on a coat, recognising their own name.

Don’t worry if not everything is mastered. Reception teachers are used to helping with buttons, zips and lost jumpers.

Share our sample book together in the weeks before September

Settling in: the first days and weeks

Settling in looks different for every child. Some run in without looking back; others cling at the gate for a few weeks; others are fine at first and wobble later, once the novelty has worn off. All of these are common.

• Keep goodbyes short, warm and the same every day: a hug, a phrase, a wave.
• Tell them who will pick them up, and be on time if you can.
• Expect tiredness. Many children are exhausted in the first weeks and may be grumpy or tearful after school.
• Keep after-school time simple: a snack, some play, an early tea and an early night.
• Ask small questions rather than “How was your day?”: “Who did you play with?” or “What was the funniest thing?”

The October half term often comes as a welcome rest. Many children come back after it noticeably more settled. Our guide to the bedtime routine can help evenings stay calm when the days are long.

Big emotions about starting Reception

Excitement and worry often arrive together. Your child may not have the words for it, so you can lend them some: “Your tummy feels funny because something new is happening. Mine does that too.”

• Name the feeling without rushing to fix it.
• Share a time you were nervous and it turned out fine.
• Give them something small from home: a photo in the book bag, a heart drawn on their hand.
• Read stories about being brave in a new place.

Our article on emotions and stories has more ways to talk about feelings. If you are worried about how your child is settling, their wellbeing or their development, talk to the class teacher first, and to your health visitor or GP if needed. They know your child and can help you find the right support.

Starting Reception gifts that reassure

A starting Reception gift works best when it is small and comforting, not a big reward. A few ideas:

• A new book to read together the night before.
• A keyring or a little charm for the book bag, “from home”.
• A special pencil and a drawing book for after school.
• A card from grandparents with a photo inside.
• A treat after the first day: the park, their favourite tea, an extra story.
• A printed story where a hero they chose is brave in a new place.

For that last idea, with AI-Koma Kids your child chooses in pictures a hero from our characters, such as the brave bear or the shy little hedgehog, up to two companions, a world and an adventure. There is no school theme, but an extraordinary encounter with a mood full of courage tells exactly the right kind of story, and you can add the value friendship or the learning theme letters and their sounds. Their first name, if you add it, appears in the text: the narrator speaks to them as the hero sets off. The child is never drawn.

For ages 3 to 5 the book has 16 pages. Print the PDF and give it on the last evening of the summer holidays, or read it on screen with a voice generated by artificial intelligence. A beloved cuddly toy that can’t go to school can even join the story: photograph it on its own and it becomes a companion.

Create a brave first-day story with your child: first book free

A new story for every week of Reception: plans from €5.99 a month