September has a way of arriving faster than you expect. One moment it is the start of summer and your toddler is nowhere near ready for nursery. The next, it is late August and you are wondering whether you have done enough to prepare them.
The honest answer to that thought is that no toddler arrives at nursery fully ready. Nursery is their first independent experience of a world outside the home, and that takes adjustment regardless of how well prepared they are. What you can do is lay some practical groundwork that makes the transition easier, for them and for you.
This is the first in a series of articles on getting children ready for September (or August in Scotland). Later articles will cover starting primary school for the first time, the transition from KS1 to KS2, and preparing for upper KS2. But the toddler transition is where it all begins, and it deserves its own attention.
What nursery actually involves
For most children, nursery is the first time they have spent extended periods away from their parents or main carers. It is also the first time they are expected to function as part of a group, sharing resources, following a routine set by someone else, and managing their own needs in an unfamiliar environment.
This is a significant step for a two or three year old, and it's worth being realistic about what the first few weeks will look like. Some children settle quickly, others take longer. Both are normal. The settling-in period at most nurseries is gradual by design, short sessions that build up over time, and the staff are experienced at supporting children through it.
What helps most is not a crash course in sitting still or following instructions. It's a set of small practical skills and a sense of familiarity with basic concepts that gives a toddler confidence when they arrive.
Practical things you can work on at home
The months before nursery starts are a good time to build a few habits that will make the transition easier. None of this needs to feel like preparation. The best approach is to weave it into everyday life so naturally that your toddler doesn't notice anything has changed (we know though, from experience, that they can have hawk-like observational skills especially when you think they won't notice something!).
Establish a consistent routine. Nurseries run to a timetable, and children who are used to a predictable structure at home tend to find this reassuring rather than jarring. Consistent mealtimes, a regular nap or quiet time, and a reliable bedtime routine all help a toddler develop the internal sense of order that makes institutional routines easier to follow.
Practice separating. If your toddler has spent most of their time with you, short periods of separation before September can help. Leaving them with a grandparent or familiar adult for an hour or two, letting them spend time in a soft play or toddler group without you hovering, and being matter-of-fact about saying goodbye and coming back are all useful preparation. The goodbye is almost always harder than the time apart.
Build independence in small things. Nursery staff help children with a lot, but a toddler who can manage their own coat zip, drink from a cup without a lid, and communicate basic needs like being hungry, thirsty, or needing the toilet, will find the day considerably easier. None of this needs to be perfect. Directionally right is enough.
Talk about nursery positively and concretely. Toddlers respond to specific and honest information much better than vague reassurance. Rather than "nursery will be so much fun!", try "at nursery you will have snack time in the morning, and there are paints and a sandpit, and I will pick you up after lunch." Concrete details reduce anxiety because they make the unknown knowable.
Read books about starting nursery. There are several good picture books on this topic that normalise the experience and give toddlers a narrative framework for what to expect. Reading them in the weeks before September, without making a big deal of it, can help a child process the transition at their own pace.
Letters, numbers, colours and shapes
Nursery settings in England follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework(opens in a new window), which covers seven areas of learning and development including communication and language, mathematics, literacy and personal and social development. But the EYFS does not prescribe a particular teaching approach, and play is explicitly at its heart. Children learn by leading their own play, by observing others, and through adult-guided activities. There is no expectation that children arrive at nursery with specific academic knowledge, and no formal testing at this stage.
That said, toddlers who have had informal exposure to letters, numbers, colours and shapes tend to engage more readily with nursery activities, because the concepts feel familiar rather than entirely new. A child who recognises the letter on their peg or can count to five with confidence arrives with a small but meaningful head start.
The key word is informal. A study book at a desk is not the right approach for a two or three year old. What works is incidental exposure, the kind that happens naturally when the right things are in a child's environment.
A placemat at the table is a good example. A toddler who eats every meal next to bright illustrations of the alphabet, numbers, colours and shapes absorbs those concepts through daily exposure without any deliberate effort on their part or yours. They point at things and ask questions. They start to recognise shapes and letters when they see them elsewhere. Our Toddler Placemat Pack is designed exactly for this, wash-clean, UK made, and created to survive many mealtimes with a two/three year old.
The same principle applies to what is on the walls. A poster at toddler eye height becomes part of the visual landscape of a child's room. They look at it every day. They ask about it. They start to make connections. Our Toddler Poster Pack covers the same four areas in a format that goes on the wall and stays there, backed by our lifetime no-tear guarantee for obvious reasons.
And for moments in the car, in a waiting room, or at the kitchen table, a set of flash cards is one of the simplest and most effective tools available. Our Toddler Flashcard Set covers letters, numbers, colours and shapes. Compact, safely rounded at the corners, and straightforward enough that grandparents can use them confidently, too.
The emotional side
It would be wrong to write an article about starting nursery without acknowledging that it is an emotional milestone for parents as much as children. Leaving your toddler somewhere new, with unfamiliar people, is genuinely hard, even when you know it's good for them and they will be absolutely fine.
A few things are worth keeping in mind. The way you handle the goodbye matters more than its length. A confident, warm, brief goodbye is better than a prolonged one, however hard that is. Children take their emotional cues from adults, and a parent who is visibly anxious at drop-off communicates that there is something to be anxious about.
Most nurseries will keep you updated in the early weeks, and many now use apps to share photos during the day. If your child finds the transition particularly difficult, talk to the nursery staff rather than managing it alone. They have seen every version of this and will have strategies that work.
The transition usually takes between two and six weeks. By half term in the autumn, most children are settled. By Christmas, nursery will feel like a normal part of their week, and often one they look forward to.
What to do this summer
If September feels close, the most useful things you can do right now are practical and low-pressure. Establish a consistent routine if you haven't already. Create a few opportunities for separation. Read some books about starting nursery. Put something on the table and the walls that gives your toddler gentle exposure to the concepts they will encounter.
And beyond that, enjoy the summer! A toddler who has had a relaxed, playful, unhurried few weeks will arrive at nursery in a better state than one who has spent August in structured preparation. Play is the best preparation there is at this age.
If you are looking for ideas for keeping summer fun and gently educational, our article on keeping children entertained this summer has plenty of suggestions that work just as well for toddlers as for older children.
Coming up in this series
This is the first article in our Getting Ready for September series. Coming soon:
- Starting primary school for the first time : what Reception year involves and how to prepare your child
- Moving from KS1 to KS2: what changes at Year 3 and how to support the transition
- Getting ready for upper KS2: preparing for the final stretch of primary school
You can read more about what children learn across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 in our plain English guide to KS1 and KS2.
Browse our full toddler range including the Toddler Placemat Pack, Toddler Poster Pack and Toddler Flashcard Set at littlewigwam.com.