Free Resource from Toshi
Primary 1 preparation checklist
A P1 preparation checklist for Singapore parents: the school bag, shoes, water bottle and stuff to buy and prepare before P1 starts.
Before you buy anything
- 1
What colour are the school shoes?
Most schools want all white. A few allow black, and some name a specific style.
- 2
Are school socks compulsory?
Some schools sell their own crested socks. Others are happy with plain white ones from anywhere.
- 3
Is recess cash or cashless?
A growing number of canteens have gone cashless. If yours has, a card holder replaces the wallet.
Inside the guide
Consolidated list of product recommendations
This guide covers what to buy. The rest of P1 preparation is time and practice: the dates to plan around, the small skills your child will use every day, and a calm start.
P1 preparation timeline
Your child's school will send its own event dates. The term dates for 2027 are fixed.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| November 2026 | Many schools hold their P1 orientation, the school's own welcome event for new families. It's often where you order uniforms and books, and sign up for the school bus and student care. |
| December | Shop, label everything, and try the route to school. |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | First day of Primary 1. P2 to P6 start a day later, on Tue 5 Jan. |
| Mon 8 and Tue 9 Feb | Schools close for Chinese New Year, the first break of the year. |
| Fri 12 Mar | Term I ends. The March holidays run to Sun 21 Mar. |
For the school apps, how many uniforms to buy, and how much pocket money to give, read our Primary 1 orientation guide.
Skills to practise when preparing for Primary 1
Teachers help a lot in the first weeks. A child who has tried these at home settles in faster.
Buying food at the canteen
Play canteen at home: one of you runs the stall, the other orders and pays. Then let your child order their own drink at a hawker centre or food court. On the first day, schools show P1s round the canteen, and some stalls display photos of the food so kids can point and pay. P1s usually get a longer recess in the first week to practise. If your child is shy, pack a small snack box as a backup for the first few days.
Handling money
Practise counting coins, paying with a note, and checking the change. Agree one pocket or pouch where the money or card always lives, and what happens if it runs out before Friday.
Packing the bag from the timetable
Each class has a timetable, and the books your child brings depend on the day. Show them how to read it, with pictures if they don't read yet, and pack the bag together the night before for the first few weeks. Then let them do it alone.
Using the toilet alone
By P1, kids are expected to clean themselves, flush, and wash their hands without help. Practise in public toilets, including locking and unlocking a cubicle door. On the first day, the school shows them where the toilets are.
Asking for help and keeping time
Practise a simple way to ask a teacher for help, and to say thank you after. Teachers give a set time for each task, so a kitchen timer at home helps a child who can't read a clock yet.
Preparing your child for the change
- Make it familiar. Walk past the school, point out the gate where you'll meet, and read a picture book or two about starting school.
- Move the routine early. Two weeks before school starts, shift bedtime, waking up, and breakfast to school-day times.
- Keep goodbyes short. Say where you'll meet after school, then go.
- Ask small questions. "Who did you sit with at recess?" is easier to answer than "How was school?"
- Expect tired weeks. New rules, new faces, and a bigger school wear kids out. Keep the first few afternoons quiet.
What parents set up before P1
- Parents Gateway. School letters, forms, and event details come through it, so set it up as soon as your child's place is confirmed.
- Name labels. Label each piece of uniform, the shoes, the bottle, and the pencil case. Some schools sell labels with the uniform.
- Getting to school. Book the school bus through the operator your school uses, or try the walk or drive at school time before the first day. Agree one pick-up spot and keep to it.
- After school. If your child is going to student care, confirm the place and how they get there after dismissal.
- The year's dates. Add the 2027 school dates to your phone's calendar in one step, so school holidays and days off don't catch you out.
If you'd like a teacher to check your child's reading, listening, and writing before January, the Primary 1 English preparation run has three assignments marked by hand and ends with a P1 readiness report.