Why September in EYFS Feels Like Teaching Everything– a blog post by @MrsG_EYFS
Whenever people ask what we teach in Reception in September, I never quite know where to start. Of course, we’re teaching phonics. We’re teaching maths. We’re teaching communication and language. But honestly, it feels like we’re teaching absolutely everything. In September, nothing can be assumed. Children arrive with different experiences, different levels of confidence and different understandings of what school actually is. Some skip in without a backwards glance. Others need a little reassurance. Some know how to put their coat away and organise themselves. Others have never had to do it before. And that’s okay. That’s what September is for.
Most of my day isn’t spent teaching subjects. It’s spent teaching routines. How to come into the classroom sensibly. How to put a water bottle in the right place. How to sit on the carpet. How to line up. How to tidy away. How to use resources properly. How to wash hands after using the toilet. How to listen when someone else is speaking. The funny thing is that these are all things adults do automatically without even thinking. In Reception, every single one has to be modelled, practised and revisited over and over again. Sometimes I think I’ve said, “Put it back where you found it” more times in one day than I’ve said my own name.
Teaching More Than Rules
Alongside the routines come the rules. Not classroom rules stuck on a display board, but the unwritten rules of being part of a community. What do we do when someone has the toy we want? What do we do when we disagree? What do we do when somebody feels sad? How do we work together? How do we look after our classroom? These are often the biggest lessons children learn in those first few weeks. Every fall-out over a toy becomes a teaching moment. Every friendship wobble becomes a chance to learn how to resolve a problem. Every success, no matter how small, deserves celebrating. Building Independence September is also when we begin teaching independence. It takes much longer to let children have a go for themselves. It would definitely be quicker to do some things for them. But we know that the payoff is worth it. There is something really special about seeing a child who needed help with every little thing on day one proudly tell you, “I did it myself!” That’s what those early weeks are really about. Building confidence. Helping children believe that they can.
And Then There’s Home
What I don’t think people always see is that September doesn’t just happen at work. Like many teachers, I’m also a mum. So while I’m helping thirty children settle into a new classroom, I’m also supporting my own children as they head back to school. I’m making sure uniforms still fit, hunting for missing shoes, signing forms, checking PE days and listening to all the stories that come home at the end of the day. There have been moments when I’ve spent the day reassuring children who are feeling nervous about being away from their families, only to come home and support my own children with their worries and wobbles too. September can feel like you’re carrying everybody’s emotions. At school, I’m trying to remember who likes dinosaurs, who needs a little extra encouragement to come through the door and who is still learning where the toilets are. At home, I’m making sure my own children feel settled, heard and ready for the next day. And somewhere in amongst all of that, I’m trying to be a wife too. Thinking about what’s for dinner while setting up provision for tomorrow. Replying to messages, sorting washing, packing bags and wondering how it’s only Tuesday. It’s a juggle, and some days it feels impossible. But I also think being both a teacher and a parent gives me a perspective that shapes the way I work. I understand the trust parents place in us when they leave their child at the classroom door each morning, because I do exactly the same with my own children.
The Small Things That Matter Most
By the end of most September days, I’m exhausted. My step count is ridiculous, my voice is starting to disappear and I’ve probably solved twenty friendship problems before lunch. But it’s also one of my favourite times of the year. Every day you see tiny little changes. A child who cried at the door now comes in smiling. A child who wouldn’t talk in front of others suddenly shares an idea during carpet time. A child who needed constant support starts to believe they can do things on their own. And at home, I see the same thing. The nervousness fades. Confidence grows. New routines start to feel normal. Those small moments might not look particularly exciting from the outside, but they’re huge. Because before children can become readers, writers, mathematicians or artists, they need to learn how to be part of a classroom, how to be independent and how to be learners.
That’s why September in EYFS feels like teaching everything. In many ways, it is. It’s one of the most exhausting months of the year, both professionally and personally. But it’s also one of the most important. September is where the foundations are laid. The foundations for learning, for friendships, for confidence and for independence. And despite the long days, the endless reminders and the feeling that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Because I get to be part of those first steps, both as a teacher and as a mum. And that’s a privilege I’ll never take for granted.
MrsG has been teaching in Primary Schools, specialising in EYFS and KS1 for the last 13 years. She has taught across both key stages working as an Assistant Head, before heading back into the classroom full time after having her children. MrsG is now Senior Teacher in a small school, where she teaches in EYFS. She also works with ECTs supporting them with planning, workload, job applications and interview technique through her Instagram account instagram.com/mrsg_eyfs