School readiness tips from former teacher Rikki Toohey 

Rikki Toohey is an experienced former primary school teacher who is aiming to ‘bridge the gap’ between early learning and ‘big school’ with a series of tips and tricks ahead of the new school year. 

“My goal is to educate and support parents of preschoolers so that their children are ready to start school confidently,” she shared with Regional Illawarra.

Ms Toohey has been an educator since 1981, specialising in working with children aged between two and eight years of age, and has seen the impact of children starting school without the tools they need to be successful. 

For children without those tools, she continued, starting school can be “a really emotional and upsetting time for them, especially for children who are with their parents all the time.” 

In order to share her pool of knowledge she has created an e-book which outlines 50 questions to help gauge a child’s readiness for school, along with activities designed to help them to develop those skills at home. 

The book covers topics such as social development, listening, communication and literacy, fine motor skills and cognition, with advice and guidance for children from as young as two years of age. 

“These are the basic building blocks that children need for lifelong learning,” Ms Toohey said.

After each question she has included the educational reason for each skill, and why children need it for future learning, so that their parents can understand how this is the starting point for developmental knowledge. 

All of the activities are designed to be integrated into existing daily routines, and to be completed with things found around the house. Her suggestions are hands on, and centred around ‘normal’ home life. 

She emphasises the importance of reading to children to help them develop their language skills, working memory, and ability to make predictions, which are foundational to success across all subject areas. 

Looking to the future she hopes to develop workshops to connect with parents, attending local playgroups and other places where families gather, to share her insights. 

The e-book is available to purchase for $20 from the Mrs Toohey’s Place website, with additional tips and tricks through Facebook and Instagram pages.

Read the original coverage of this story here.