Set For School

Set For School School Readiness program for 3-6 year olds held in our beautiful Studio on Brontë Road, Queens Park.

Our programs help to give your child the tools they need to become confident learners going into Primary School.

Term 3 and Term 4 spots are going.New class starting Mondays, 11:30 to 1.If your little one is starting big school next ...
23/08/2026

Term 3 and Term 4 spots are going.
New class starting Mondays, 11:30 to 1.

If your little one is starting big school next year, now's
the time to lock in a spot. We've just opened two new
classes, Tuesday and Friday from 11:30 to 1, covering
everything your child needs for a confident start.
That's academic foundations alongside the social,
emotional, and practical skills that make the biggest
difference on day one, from sitting through a task to
managing big feelings to doing things independently.
Small groups mean limited spaces, and we'd love to
help your child feel truly ready.

Book in via the website, link in bio.

22/08/2026

Starting school is a HUGE change for a little person.

So if your child suddenly becomes clingier, starts having more tantrums or seems to regress in the lead-up to school…

It can be completely normal.

And yes, I may have been asking this one for a friend called Tash 😂

Emma and Susan from Pre-K School Readiness Classes and Primary Tutoring Sydney explained something I think a lot of parents need to hear.

Our kids experience nerves and uncertainty just like we do they just don’t always have the words to explain what they’re feeling.

And once school starts, those after-school meltdowns don’t necessarily mean they’ve had a bad day either.
They’ve spent all day learning, concentrating, navigating friendships and holding everything together.

Then they get home to their safe space…
and it all comes out.

This conversation made me look at those big emotions a little differently and I think plenty of parents will feel the same.

Our full conversation with Emma and Susan from Set for School is coming 25th August

Comment SCHOOL and I’ll send you the link when the episode.

Confident hands start long before the pencil, or the scissors.Before a child can write with control, cut along a line, o...
21/08/2026

Confident hands start long before the pencil, or the scissors.

Before a child can write with control, cut along a line, or manage buttons and zips, their hand needs strength, their fingers need to move independently of each other, and their shoulder needs stability to support the whole arm. This is basic occupational therapy and child development knowledge, but it's rarely explained to parents.

Skip that groundwork and everyday tasks become a fight. Too much grip, quick fatigue, and a child who starts avoiding the page, the scissors, or getting dressed altogether.

This is exactly why our sessions start with the hand, not the tool. Squeezing, threading, tearing, pinching, building the strength and control that makes writing, cutting, and everyday independence possible later.

"He LOVED going and became so confident in his abilities, especially writing his name. Even his preschool commented on his new found confidence." — Jess, School Readiness Parent

If your child resists writing, cutting, or getting dressed, it might not be about the task at all. Message us, we can help you figure out what's really going on.

🌟New class alert!We’ve just opened a new School Readiness session, running Mondays 11:30–1.If you’ve been wondering “is ...
20/08/2026

🌟New class alert!
We’ve just opened a new School Readiness session, running Mondays 11:30–1.
If you’ve been wondering “is my child ready for this?” This is exactly what we built these sessions for. Small groups, led by experienced educators, covering the academic skills alongside the confidence, independence and social-emotional skills kids actually need to walk through that school gate feeling capable.
We foster whole child development, not just the report card.
Spots are limited. Send us a message or head to the link in bio to enrol.

"Now he tries, asks for help, and keeps going."Handwriting is often the first place we really see a child's willingness ...
19/08/2026

"Now he tries, asks for help, and keeps going."

Handwriting is often the first place we really see a child's willingness to persist. The pencil doesn't do what they want, straight away, and that moment matters more than the letters themselves.

What we're building toward isn't perfect handwriting. It's a child who has a go at the tricky page instead of giving up on it. Who asks for help instead of shutting down. Who tries again.

That's what building fine motor skills into every session is actually for. Not just stronger hands, but a stronger sense of "I can do this."

Have you noticed this shift in your own child, big or small? We'd love to hear about it below.

Long before a pencil touches paper, a child's hand needs to be ready for it. Building the strength, coordination, and s...
16/08/2026

Long before a pencil touches paper, a child's hand needs to be ready for it. Building the strength, coordination, and stability that make writing possible. Casey Caterpillar is our structured program for developing exactly that, sequenced in the right order: first the hand, then the grip, then the control needed to write. When formal writing starts, it feels achievable, not overwhelming, because the foundations are already there.

It's the kind of sequencing you only design when you've watched, firsthand, what trips kids up in that first term of school.

Want to see what a session actually looks like? Send us a message.

You don't need to be an expert to spot these signs, most parents notice them without realising what they actually mean:1...
14/08/2026

You don't need to be an expert to spot these signs, most parents notice them without realising what they actually mean:

1. Avoiding drawing, colouring, or writing tasks
2. Getting frustrated with buttons, zips, or shoelaces
3. Tiring quickly during hands-on activities like cutting or threading

These are common signs that a child's fine motor skills, the small hand and finger muscles used for writing, dressing, and everyday tasks, simply need a bit more practice before the demands of a full school day.

None of this means anything is "wrong." Fine motor development varies a lot between children, and these skills are built through repetition, not age alone.

The earlier it's noticed, the easier it is to build up gently, no pressure, just consistent practice in everyday moments.

Noticing any of these in your child? Send us a message, we're happy to chat through it.

When a child can't quite manage the physical side of school tasks, gripping a pencil, using scissors, doing up their bag...
12/08/2026

When a child can't quite manage the physical side of school tasks, gripping a pencil, using scissors, doing up their bag, it doesn't stay contained to that task. It chips away at how capable they feel in the classroom generally.

A child who's still fumbling with their zipper at pack up time, or whose hand tires halfway through writing their name, doesn't just feel frustrated by the task itself. They start to feel behind, even when they're not. And that feeling can follow them into the next task, and the next.

That's why fine motor development matters so much in the readiness picture. It's rarely just about the pencil. It's about a child walking in each day feeling like they can do this: open their own lunchbox, manage their own belongings, keep up with their peers, without needing to ask for help every few minutes.

Confidence in the classroom isn't only built through knowing letters and numbers. It's built through all the small physical wins that add up over a school day, the ones adults often don't think twice about, but that matter enormously to a five year old still working them out.

Save this for later, it's worth remembering as term progresses.

It's easy to assume fine motor skills will just "click" once school starts. But for a lot of kids, the opposite happens,...
09/08/2026

It's easy to assume fine motor skills will just "click" once school starts. But for a lot of kids, the opposite happens, a full day of writing, cutting, and packing bags can be exhausting when those muscles haven't had a chance to build up first.

It's not about a child being behind. It's that little hands need practice before they're asked to use them all day, every day.

The good news? This is one of the easiest areas to support early, you just need to know what to focus on.

Next week, we're sharing exactly how we build these skills in our program.

If your child's handwriting still looks wobbly, or they're still working out how to do up their own shoes, that's not a ...
07/08/2026

If your child's handwriting still looks wobbly, or they're still working out how to do up their own shoes, that's not a sign they're behind. It's exactly where they should be.

Fine motor skills develop with repetition, not pressure. That's why we build in lots of hands-on practice: finger rhymes, playdough, threading, pe***ng, buttons and zips, alongside our Casey Caterpillar handwriting program, so by the time kids are in the classroom, their hands (and confidence) are ready for the day ahead.

Small hands. Big skills. All in good time.

Follow along this month as we dig into how we support fine motor development at Set for School.

Address

Bronte Road
Queens Park, NSW

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Friday 8am - 12pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

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