@mummasparks shares her thoughts on how to prepare your child for the first day of Primary School. After all, as we've begun to near the end of the Summer Holidays, she's been getting everything in place for Tilly.

How did we get here? The Summer holidays, no wait - the last four years, in fact, have disappeared in a heartbeat and now we're only a couple of weeks or so away from Till's first day at school. Of all her milestones so far, this has to be her biggest one yet. In four short years, she has gone from this beautiful tiny little bundle, completely dependent on her father and I, to a bright and confident little girl who makes us so proud to be her parents. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I can't believe we've come this far already.

So with her first day of school getting closer and closer, I've been preparing both her and me for that very moment. There's been a lot to do but we're just about there and so I thought I'd share some of my experiences and hopefully some advice for anyone else out there.

Preparing Tilly

As a working Mum, Tilly has spent the last couple of years going to preschool a few days each week and I think this has been a great help. Being an only child, the experience of preschool taught her about being in the care of adults outside of her family, making new friends and learning about the social aspects of playing and working together in a group. It also helped her with daily routines and understanding that there are sometimes rules that she may not have at home, but do apply in other places. All of these things have been a great foundation for her transition into primary school, but preschool isn't necessarily the only way to achieve this.

If your child doesn't go to preschool then you could organise something with a group of friends, or local toddler group to see how they adjust to settings outside the home or with family. During the break between her final session at preschool last month and her first day of school next month, I have made use of a children's Summer Club, held at one of the local secondary schools. She's only been going a couple of days a week but I think the continuity has been great for her and she's still getting plenty of Mummy and Daddy time.

We've kept talking about school because I want her to anticipate it with a sense of positivity. In our house, we have a calendar which shows the weeks of the Summer holidays and she and I have been using it to see what is happening each day, be it a day at home with us, at Summer club or at Nanna's. Tilly knows that when we get to the end of the calendar, that's when 'big school starts'.

Lastly, on a practical level. I've shown her all of her uniform and PE kit. She's tried it on and I've helped her to understand how she needs to wear it all. She knows that she will be eating a cooked meal every day so she won't need to take in a lunchbox. She talks about starting school with excitement in her voice so that makes me very happy.

Shop the Sparks and Daughters Back to School Collection

Preparing myself

With so much to think about it's easy to feel anxious so the way I am preparing myself is to deal with anything that has me feeling like that!

I made a list of all the practical elements so that I could work my way through them one at a time. There were a lot of things to get but I'm sure I now have everything she needs to get started. Her uniform came from Asda. I was absolutely amazed at the quality, especial for the price I paid and took the opportunity to buy a few more pieces so she has plenty of spares.

Then, of course, everything needed to be labelled. I found these illustrated ones and I could choose which picture I wanted so I went for a cute little ladybird that way can identify her things from both her name and the picture. She needed a water bottle so thought I'd keep in with the ladybird theme and got this one from Skip Hop.

The school themselves have been an amazing help in getting me prepared. There's been so much information available and with an evening for the parents to explain everything and the wonderful staff have made everything easy. I'll be honest, I've worried about Tilly making friends, getting herself dressed and also about her doing ok with the cooked dinners but she's already proven me wrong with how she's coped at Summer club. She made friends on the very first day and I'm sure she's more likely to have a go at new things when I'm actually not around.

All in all, I'd say there are three key parts to prepare your child for the first day of Primary School

Make lists for all the practical things

Keep talking about it with your little one and focus on the positivity

Don't be afraid to ask friends, family or even the school for help and advice. There are no stupid questions!

If, when the day finally comes, you start feeling emotional, don't worry about it. It's perfectly normal! In fact, most parents arriving at the school gates on that first day will no doubt be experiencing a mixture of pride, sadness, longing, apprehension, happiness, and even guilt. Why not arrange to go out for coffee with other parents, or do something relaxing to help take your mind off it and pass the time until you can pick them up – remember, self-care is important for yourself too. Your little one will be overjoyed to see you again at the end of their first day!

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