For parents of 3–6 year olds
Is my child
ready for school?
You've read the posts. You've bought the flashcards. You still have unanswered questions.
We have watched 35 years of first days, and the children who settle aren't the ones who can read. They're the ones who can manage a wobble, open a lunchbox and say “can I play?” And they've truly made it to school when they feel they belong there.
We'll show you how to grow those skills at home, through play in a few minutes a day.
How much help do you want?
Three ways in
01
Start tonight
The free one-page checklist: nine things that matter before school. Ten minutes, and you'll know where your child is strong and where to put your energy.
Download free02
Get a plan this month
One hour live with Rod on this month's big topic, your questions answered, six games to start this week. Next: Ready for Big School, Tuesday 24 November. A$7.99, replay included.
Save my spot for A$7.9903
Know what's next, all year
The Happy Preschooler Club: every month, a new topic, a live Q&A about your child, and printable games. Tantrums in December, the first weeks of school and belonging in January, friendships in February. A$99 a year or A$9.99 a month.
See inside the ClubRod's 5-Point Plan
Happy first. Then ready.
Schools teach reading and counting, and they're good at it. What they can't do in term one is teach a child to cope with disappointment, make a friend or try again when it's hard. Those are grown at home, and they're grown through play. They're also what helps a child feel they belong.
Regulated
Big feelings, calmer bodies, coping with “no”
Interdependent
Doing it myself, and knowing who to ask
Confidently connect-able
Joining in, making a friend, caring how others feel
Contagiously curious
Asking why, having a go, trying again
Capably agile
Climbing, balancing, strong from core to fingertips
Play
How all of it is learned, at home, in minutes a day
Who's telling you this
Hi, we're Rod & Mel
Rod Soper has spent 35 years asking one question: what helps children flourish? He's been a teacher, head of primary years, assistant principal and principal, co-founded a play-based preschool, and co-wrote My First Year at School. He trains the people who teach preschoolers. Now he's telling parents what he tells them.
Mel Browne is an ex-accountant, ex-financial advisor and now financial educator and five-time author who has helped tens of thousands of families. She's the one making sure this costs less than a coffee a week.
More about Rod & Mel
Tuesday 24 November · 7:30pm AEDT
Do it before the first day, not after
Thirty-five years of first days say the same thing: the parents who felt calm were the ones who knew what mattered. One hour, A$7.99, replay included.
Can't make it live? Watch the replay at 10pm like everyone else.
