Starting Reception: Wins in the Dining Hall

Last week marked a big milestone for us - our little one started reception.

The first two days (Monday and Tuesday) were gentle starts, just a few hours long, so there were no mealtimes involved. On the third day of settling in (Wednesday), he stayed for lunch, and that’s when the dining hall challenge began.

Back in nursery, things were simpler. He ate in his classroom with just his classmates. Now in reception, he has to eat in the dining hall with the whole school. Reception children do go in first, but even so, the hall is big, noisy, and overwhelming compared to what he was used to.

On that first day in the dining hall (Wednesday), he didn’t eat at all and ended up back in class. Thursday was similar - he still didn’t manage to eat. By Friday, boom! He ate! And this week, on both Monday and Tuesday, he ate again.

A huge help has been a small but powerful strategy: a set of four connected Numberblocks as a fidget toy. He absolutely loves Numberblocks, so this was the perfect choice. Having them in his hands gives him something familiar and calming to focus on while navigating the busy dining hall. It was an idea we came up with together with the school, and it’s made a real difference.

Also, I pack snacks from home (steamed veggies, rice cakes, and clementines) - so he had something familiar and nourishing if he didn’t manage much at school.

He still finds the dining hall overwhelming and needs support to get through it, but the fact that he’s now eating there feels like a huge win. The steps forward may be small, but progress is progress and we’ll happily celebrate each one.