It’s a rule of childhood that what a kid wants to do more than anything in the world, is whatever their older sibling happens to be doing.
No matter what the activity, anything to do with school seems incredibly fun and interesting to a pre-school aged child.
They may seem young but you’ll be packing them off to school in no time, so it’s no harm to get them into the routine.
If you work, they probably have a school-like routine in the mornings already. Your child will be used to spending all day in a crèche or with a childminder.
Make sure to ask the same questions to all your little ones about what they did and what they learned that day. Your child should feel their time at playschool is as special and important as their brother's at big school.
If you mind the youngest at home, have them tell their older siblings about what they did each day. This will give a bit of division between the day as a time for learning, and the evening when everyone comes home.
The best way to help younger children feel involved with school is with homework. Have everyone sit down to do their work together, and give anyone without homework a particular job to do. This could be making a birthday card for someone in the class or a special picture for a family member.
Ideally it should be something they need to give someone the next day, to make it feel more like homework.
Including your toddlers or pre-schooler in the same school routine as their older brothers and sisters will not only make them feel grown up and included, but when they do start school the change will be easier.
Sitting down to do homework in the evenings will be second nature, and having everyone do their work together will create a great sibling bond.
