Before your child's first day, give the teachers a short written handover covering how your child's name is said at home, the words they use for basic needs, their sleep and eating habits, where they are with toileting, what comforts and what frightens them, and any big recent changes such as a move. One clear page, followed by a few minutes' conversation, lets teachers respond to your child as an individual from the first morning instead of spending weeks guessing.
For international families this handover matters more than usual. Teachers in Ho Chi Minh City are skilled at reading young children, but they read them partly through shared culture and language. A child from another country may signal tiredness, hunger or worry differently, eat in a different way, or be used to different sleep habits. This guide explains what to include, which cultural differences are worth flagging, how to share the information and how to keep it up to date during the first month.
Why a handover changes the first weeks
A young child cannot explain themselves to a stranger, and a child who speaks neither classroom language cannot explain anything at all. Teachers fill that gap by watching. Without information from home, they learn your child's cues through trial and error: they discover after a week that rubbing the eyes means hunger rather than tiredness, or that a certain look means the child needs the toilet. Each missed cue is a small moment of distress for the child.
A good handover shortens that learning curve. It also gives the teachers something to talk about with your child: a pet's name, a favourite food, a grandparent left behind. In early years practice, knowing a child's interests is one of the main ways adults build connection, and it works across language barriers because it shows the child that the adult knows who they are.
There is a second benefit. A handover signals to the school that you see them as partners and that you are willing to share. That tends to open the door to more information flowing back the other way, which is exactly what you want in the first weeks.
What to put on the handover page
Keep each line short and concrete. Teachers will glance at the page during a busy day, so the most useful information should be easy to find.
| Topic | What to write | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Name as used at home, pronunciation written simply, nickname, whether the child answers to the family or given name | Hearing their name said familiarly is reassuring |
| Languages | Languages at home, who speaks which, a few key words written phonetically | Teachers can recognise requests in the home language |
| Sleep | Usual nap time and length, how the child falls asleep, comfort object, whether they wake easily | Nap is often the hardest part of the early weeks |
| Eating | Foods they know, how they eat, whether they feed themselves or are fed, water habits | Helps teachers offer food in a familiar way |
| Toileting | Nappies, pull-ups or trained, words or signals used, any fears about toilets | Prevents accidents and embarrassment |
| Comfort | What calms them: being held, a song, a quiet corner, a particular phrase | Gives teachers a tool on day one |
| Fears and dislikes | Loud noises, dogs, being picked up by strangers, water on the face | Avoids triggering distress unknowingly |
| Family | Who lives at home, siblings, pets, who will collect, recent changes | Lets teachers make sense of what the child talks about or plays |
| Health | Allergies, regular medication, conditions | Belongs on the school's official health form as well |
Health details deserve their own careful handling. Make sure allergies and medical needs go through the campus's formal process, not only onto an informal page, so that kitchen staff and every adult who cares for your child are informed.
Cultural differences worth flagging
Feeding style. In many Vietnamese families and some preschools, adults spoon-feed young children for longer than in some Western countries. Other families expect a three-year-old to feed themselves completely. If your child eats independently and is upset by being fed, or the reverse, say so. Also mention whether your child uses a spoon, a fork, chopsticks or fingers.
Sleep habits. A child used to being rocked, fed or patted to sleep, or to sleeping in a dark room alone, may find a shared nap room with mats very different. Describe exactly how your child falls asleep so teachers can approximate it.
Clothing and temperature. Families from colder countries sometimes dress children in layers, while families used to Saigon heat dress lightly. Air conditioning in classrooms adds another variable. Tell the teachers whether your child tends to feel hot or cold, and pack accordingly.
Physical affection. Some children are used to lots of hugging and holding; others dislike being picked up by people they do not know. Teachers respect these preferences when they are aware of them.
Independence expectations. Expectations about dressing, washing hands and tidying vary between cultures. If your child is used to doing these things alone, or used to having help, the teachers can adjust.
Names and titles. Children may be used to calling adults by first names, or by titles. In Vietnamese classrooms, children call female teachers cô and male teachers thầy. Let your child know this so it does not feel strange.
Who is your child's person at school?
In the first weeks, a young child benefits from having one adult at school who takes particular responsibility for them. British early years settings formalise this as the key person approach, which the researchers Peter Elfer and Elinor Goldschmied described as a way of giving each child a special relationship with a named adult who knows them well, settles them in and acts as the main link with the family. The statutory framework for early years in England requires every child to have a key person.
Not every school uses that term, and in a bilingual class there may be several teachers sharing the room, often a Vietnamese teacher, an English-speaking teacher and an assistant. It is still worth asking who will be the main adult for your child during settling in, who will greet them at drop-off and who will be with them at nap time. Give your handover to that person directly if you can.
If the main adult changes, for example because of rota changes or a teacher leaving, ask to be told and, if possible, to have a short overlap. A change of key adult in the first month can unsettle a child, and preparing them helps.
How to share the handover
Information sticks better when it arrives in more than one form:
- Write one page, ideally in English and, if you can arrange it, with a Vietnamese version for teachers who prefer it. A professional translation is not necessary for a page like this; a careful version checked by a Vietnamese-speaking friend or colleague is fine.
- Add two or three photos: your child's family, a pet, their bedroom or favourite place. Teachers can use these to start a conversation or to comfort a child who misses home.
- Ask for ten minutes with the main teacher before the first day, or on the first morning, to go through the page in person.
- Bring the comfort object and any special items, labelled, and show the teacher how they are used.
- Ask the teacher what they would like to know that is not on the page. Experienced teachers often have their own questions.
- Keep a copy so you can update it easily later.
If several teachers share the room, ask whether the page can be kept somewhere all of them can see it, such as your child's file or the staff area, rather than in one teacher's bag. Assistants and nap-time staff often need the information as much as the lead teacher, especially the details about sleep, toileting and comfort.
A sample handover, filled in
To show the level of detail that works, here is an invented example for an imagined three-year-old. It is a hypothetical illustration, not a real child, and yours will look different:
- Top three: says “pipi” when she needs the toilet and needs to go straight away; falls asleep holding her grey rabbit and stroking its ear; panics if water is poured over her head.
- Name: Léa, said “LAY-ah”; at home we call her Lou-Lou and she answers to both.
- Languages: French with both parents; understands a little English from cartoons; no Vietnamese yet. Water is “de l'eau”, hurt is “bobo”, finished is “fini”.
- Sleep: naps about ninety minutes after lunch at home; needs a dark, quiet corner and someone sitting close for the first few minutes.
- Eating: feeds herself with a spoon, likes rice and soup, unsure about fish with bones, drinks well if the cup is offered.
- Family: lives with mum, dad and a baby brother born four months ago; we moved from Lyon five weeks ago; dad will collect on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- Comfort: calms with a quiet hug and the song about the little boat that she sings at bedtime.
Notice what is not there: no list of every favourite toy, no long description of her personality. Teachers will learn those things themselves, and enjoy doing so. The page is there to prevent avoidable distress in the first days.
Updating it during the first month
A handover is a starting point, not a contract. As the weeks pass, your child will change, partly because of school itself. Nap habits may shift, new words appear, and fears that seemed important may fade while others emerge. A brief update at the end of week two and again around week four keeps teachers working with your current child, not the child described on the first day.
Information should flow both ways. Ask teachers what they have learned: the classmate your child gravitates towards, the activity that always calms them, the moment of the day that is still hard. Those observations can help at home too, for example by repeating a classroom song at bedtime or practising a skill your child is working on.
Tell the school about any significant change at home promptly, even if it seems unrelated: a parent travelling for work, a grandparent visiting or leaving, a new helper, a house move, a new baby on the way. Young children often show the effects of home changes at school first, and teachers who know the reason can respond with patience rather than puzzlement.
Keep it short and prioritise
It is easy to write too much. Parents who are anxious about a new school sometimes produce several pages covering every preference their child has ever shown. Teachers with many children in their care cannot absorb that much, and the most important details get lost.
A good test is to ask which pieces of information would prevent distress in the first week. The toilet word, the comfort object, the way your child falls asleep and the one fear that reliably causes panic are all high priority. A long list of favourite colours and cartoons can wait for conversation later, when the teacher is getting to know your child.
Put the top three items at the top of the page in bold, and keep everything else brief. If something is important enough that you would phone the school about it, it belongs in the first lines. Everything else is useful background, and teachers will appreciate it more if it does not crowd out what matters.
Câu hỏi thường gặp
Does the school already ask for this information?
Most schools ask for basic details on enrolment forms, often focused on contacts and health. A settling-in handover goes further, describing your child's habits and cues. Ask the campus whether they have their own format; if they do, use it and attach a short page with anything it does not cover.
Should the handover be in English or Vietnamese?
English is usually fine for the English-speaking teacher, but a Vietnamese version helps if your child will spend much of the day with Vietnamese-speaking staff. A careful, simple translation is enough. Ask the school which language the main teacher prefers to read.
Is it pushy to give teachers a written page?
Most teachers appreciate clear information about a new child, especially one who cannot yet communicate in the classroom languages. Keep it to one page, present it as helpful background rather than a list of demands, and invite the teacher's own questions. That tone is usually well received.
What if my child's habits change after starting school?
That is very common. Update the teachers briefly when something important changes, such as a new nap pattern or a new fear. Many parents do a short check-in at the end of the second week and around the fourth week to compare notes and adjust what is on the page.
Should I mention family difficulties such as a separation?
You do not have to share private details, but it helps teachers to know about changes that affect your child's daily life, such as one parent living elsewhere or new collection arrangements. A short, factual note is enough, and you can ask that it be shared only with the staff who need to know.
What if the teachers do not follow what I wrote?
Ask gently what has happened, since there may be a practical reason, such as a group routine at nap time. Discuss together what can be adapted. If something matters for your child's safety or wellbeing, such as an allergy or a strong fear, raise it formally with the campus team.