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Learning how to get ready by yourself is an extremely important life skill for young people.
This activity is a great way to practise their independence before school starts in a relaxed and fun way.
Ask them lots of questions as you pack a bag together to help your child think about your schedule and work out all of the things they might need when they leave the house.
Watch the video below to see how you can slot this activity easily into your everyday routine with a preschooler.
Shall we go to the park, Ro?
Water bottle.
What do you need that for?
Drinking.
When you get…Thirsty!
Yeah, shall you put that in the bag then? In the big bit, that's it. And that's ready for the park, isn't it?
We have to get something else…You're going to go get something else?
A banana for eating.
What else do we need?
A hat for if it gets sunny.
And what does that do?
Not get sun in my eyes.
Perfect, yeah.
Jacket.
What's that for?
For if it gets cold and rains.
Last thing, what do you need? Football!
The football, is that the most important thing?
Yes.
What are we going to do with that then?
Kick it!
Yeah, we're going to go and kick it at the park.
What else would you like to take?
I think that's it.
You think that's it?
Yeah.
That's it, zip it up.and then can you put the bag on my chair for me? Can you hang it on? Is it on?
Yeah.
Perfect. We're going to go to the park, aren't we, but what do I need first? Can I have a cuddle?
Yeah!
Go give me a cuddle. Good boy!
What are the benefits of practising packing a bag with a preschooler?
- Asking children what they think they might need gets them thinking ahead and talking in the future tense.
- Considering what they needed before allows them to form sentences in the past tense.
- Explaining why they need an item encourages children to talk in longer and more complex sentences.
- Turning this into a fun activity, and talking about school as you go, makes that big step less daunting for preschoolers.
- Being confident in packing their own bag will help with children's early school experience.
Top tips for teaching kids how to pack a bag
This is a great activity to try in the summer holidays before your child starts school. If you're leaving the house for any reason, set aside some time to pack a bag together first.
Tell your child where you're going and ask them what you think they might need. For example, if you're going to the park, you might need a ball, some sun cream and a jacket.
Ask open questions and try to encourage your child to work it out themselves. If they're struggling to think of an item, you could give them a descriptive clue. For example, "you will need this if it gets cold at the park".
Encourage them to think about the order of your day. What will you do first? What time will you come home? This is great practice for when they start school, and they have to think about all their different lessons they might have in one day.
You can also ask them to think back to other times they've been to the park. What did they need then? Can they remember? This is a great way to practise the past tense.
Once they name an item, get them to fetch it from around the house and pack it in their bag themselves. As they're putting items in, ask them why they think they'll need them. This will encourage them to reply in full sentences and use critical thinking skills.
Give your child lots of encouragement as you go and make packing their bag a positive experience for them.
If your child is struggling to think of the items make a picture list together. This will enable them to use the list as a prompt to help them find the items they need.
Fun activities to help your child prepare for school
- Help your child build the confidence to use the toilet on their own with this activity.
- Empower your child to share nicely with our sharing with toys activity.
- Get more tips and advice on starting primary school on the BBC Bitesize website.
