Book Review: Before Big School

Mel
Mar 20, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Oct 9, 2023

Before Big School: A Practical Guide to School Readiness

Written by: Danielle Murray

Have you been stressing about your kids starting 'big' school? Are you home educating and worried that you're not ticking all the boxes?

Danielle has drawn on her experiences in education to demystify what essential learning is important in the early years; and has created a beautiful book worthy of any bookshelf that steps parents through key learning areas that are fundamental for school readiness (home educators read: formal learning preparedness!).

Topics Covered

Danielle breaks the book into key learning areas and skillsets; providing a brief overview of why each is important, how they relate to school readiness, and examples of activities to promote and support learning.

Literacy
Numeracy
Problem-Solving
Curiosity
Play
Gross Motor Skills
Learning Styles
Independence & Organisation Skills
Social Skills & Friendships
Resilience

My Favourite Sections

Curiosity

My favourite sections were those on nurturing curiosity, the magic of play and developing resilience. Curiosity is the basis of early childhood and the tips given in the section should be the basis for all early childhood explorations: get outside, be guided by your child, encourage pretend play, and ask questions!

Play

This section leads nicely into the section on play; which is an important reference for parents as it defines the types of play that should and do make up children’s days, the importance and benefits of each type, and ways to facilitate play.

Resilience

By far, the section that spoke to me as being the most important revelation of the entire book was that on resilience. Resilience incorporates such an important set of skills and Danielle does particularly well describing the importance of each skill and how to develop it in our children in a user-friendly but no-nonsense way.

Some Things I Struggled With

Jargon

I did find, that even though this volume contains useful explanations of educational jargon (e.g., subitising) there seemed to be a bit of an overreliance on this edu-speak that might detract away from the readability of the book for parents less concerned with the what does it all mean and more concerned with the how do I actually do this.

Who is this for again?

I also found the format of the book a little confusing as it seemed to jump from aiming to support pre-school children (children prior to commencing any formalised learning) in developing the skills necessary to be ready for formal education to speaking as though the child is already in school. In conjunction to this dilemma, I found that although there were a number of useful examples of play-based activities designed to promote learning, they often seem targeted to development above school entry age (children that already have commenced formal learning and already have some familiarity with subjects of an academic nature).

Real-World or Re-Word?

Perhaps stemming from this lack of clarity about the intended target age-bracket, I noticed that most examples of conversation given in the text seem somewhat contrived and removed from real-world experience with children in the pre-school years – especially in a home setting.

Walking from Play

Some of this confusion may have arisen from the deep dive into the key learning areas of Literacy and Numeracy; rather than starting where the Early Years child resides – play, and working through the skillsets to the more academic facets of school preparedness.

The Silver Lining

Edu-speak and activity hiccups aside, I think that this would be an insightful read for parents. Danielle has managed to walk parents through that often fraught with stress and anxiety first transition away from the home, give clarity on the expectations of the formal education system and has even managed to support parents past the school gate, so to speak.

Once you’ve gotten your children off to school, then what? Well, Danielle has you covered with her chapter Week One & Beyond – where she reassures you that it’s not all academics and stress. She promotes a realistic and important life balance for both parents and children that will leave you feeling energised and refreshed.

As an added bonus, Danielle has also included simple recipes for sensory play and references to some absolutely wonderful (and very popular) children’s books.

My Recommendation:

Those with Pre-School or Early Primary-Aged Children:

They would both benefit from the structure this book provides for supporting early learning. It’s important to remember that when children start formalised learning it is not simply an ending of the early years and a beginning of school – transitioning takes some time and children will develop at different rates. An understanding of the schooling system, the expectations for learning and your child’s development will help you to support your little learners as they move through these stages of development.

Home Educators:

That would like an insight into school, the expectations, the jargon, the strategies, and experiences of educators, as well as a basic insight into child development in the early years (and how this aligns with formal education). Having an understanding of, and an opportunity to compare your expectations of schooling will help you to determine your philosophies, styles and goals for home education – it will support you to determine what is needed and what is not, and the best ways to facilitate learning for your children. It is also a useful reference for home educating families that want to align with or replicate school at home; or those undertaking Distance Education. As the same skillsets and academic skills and attitudes will be required.