Crossing the great divide from Primary 1 into Primary 2

Things are very different in Primary 2, as mathematics gets hard and friendships get fraught

- Raymond Goh

My daughter, JJ, started Primary 1 in 2024. Those carefree kindergarten years of noon-time naps and tea-time biscuits had come to an end, and she was going to get a taste of the proper academic rigour that is primary school.

My wife and I—like all good mollycoddling parents—were understandably anxious about this transition.

What if she has trouble making friends? Will there be a lot of homework in Primary 1? How will our hapless youngling navigate the canteen while conveying a boiling bowl of soupy noodles?

These considerations kept us awake at night, but perhaps the question that vexed us most was: Does this mean we can no longer take JJ out of school in April to enjoy sakura blossoms in Kyoto?

What kind of cruel vacation-Nazis are running this establishment? The bad news is that, yes, it is true that primary schools prohibit any such holiday sojourns during the academic term.

But I'm also pleased to report that all our other concerns about Primary 1 turned out to be largely unfounded.

JJ was keen to learn maths; she was excited about her new and expanded circle of friends. And not once was she scalded unceremoniously by fishball broth—mainly because her recess diet consisted primarily of lukewarm chicken nuggets and iced Milo.

We were so pleased and proud that our little girl had found her footing in Primary 1 without incident, and we were quite ready to laugh at the foolishness of our initial consternation...and then Primary 2 happened.

Everyone goes on and on about the importance of priming your child for Primary 1.

There are even Primary 1 preparatory courses six-year-olds can enrol in to ensure that they pre-learn everything that will be taught in that first year—perhaps in the hope that the child can then conveniently take off to Fukuoka during the April springtime climes. (Spoiler alert: Sorry, still cannot.)