Free Online Starting School Activities for Reception Starters

Is your child starting school in September 2026? Play these FREE online starting school activities and learning games!

Starting school is a big change. New routines, new friends, new teachers and lots of new experiences. We want to help children have the very best experience starting school, and one of the easiest ways to build confidence before September is through play.

That’s why we’re offering families a FREE Get Ready for School Guest Account this summer, with unlimited access to all our Early Years games and activities until September.

Children can enjoy hundreds of online starting school activities designed to help build confidence before Reception. From name-writing games and listening activities to counting, phonics, creativity and problem-solving, there’s plenty to explore over the summer holidays.

Ready to get started? Claim your free login details below and start exploring today.

You may also be interested in our free printable Starting School Activity Pack

FREE Reception Transition Activities for Families

If you’re meeting your September starters this term, feel free to share these free login details with families.

The Get Ready for School Guest Account gives children access to a wide range of Early Years activities over the summer, helping them explore listening, early maths, mark-making, creativity and other skills they’ll use when they start school.

It’s completely free for families to use until September, requires no payment details, and is a simple way to keep learning playful over the summer holidays while building children’s confidence ready for the classroom.

School Readiness Games for Reception Starters

Busy Things is a trusted learning platform used in thousands of UK schools and homes. Designed with Early Years teachers, it helps new starters learn through play with funny characters, animations, silly sounds and activities that children genuinely enjoy.

Children starting school can explore activities to help them:

• Build confidence with numbers and counting
• Recognise and write their name
• Develop listening and early phonics skills
• Experiment with art, music and creativity
• Practise problem-solving and independent thinking
• Follow instructions and complete simple challenges

There are hundreds of playful, engaging learning activities to explore, including number games, shape and maze games, letter formation activities, name recognition games, creative art and music activities, and sound discrimination games that introduce early phonics skills. All designed to make learning feel fun!

Watch below for a glimpse into our fun Early Years resources…

Online Activities for Children Starting School

Here are just a few of the free starting school activities children can explore in our Get Ready for School Guest Account this summer:

Claim your FREE Get Ready for School Login Details:

Ready to get started? Enter your details below to access your FREE Get Ready for School Guest Account.

Please note: Busy Things is best played on a tablet, laptop or desktop computer so children can see, click, drag, draw and interact properly. Phone screens are a bit too small for the full experience.

More support, advice and starting school activities..

Looking for more ideas and advice? We’ve got lots of articles to help you support your child as they get ready to start school.

Free Starting School Activity Pack for Children Starting Reception in 2026 – Download a free pack of fun school-ready activities to try this summer.

Starting Primary School: Skills to Encourage! Simple ways to encourage some of the key skills children use when they start school.

Getting Ready for School: A Parent’s Guide! Practical ideas to help make the transition to school feel a little easier.

How to help children learn to write their name: One of the key things that children are asked to learn before starting school is to recognise their name and to start to write their name. Here are some fun and simple name-learning activities to try at home.

How Playing Phonics Games can Improve your Child’s Reading: Demystifying phonics! A parent-friendly introduction to phonics and how games can help.

What is Subitising? A Parent’s Guide incl. FREE Subitising Worksheets: Find out what subitising is and why it’s such an important early maths skill.

We’d Love Your Feedback!

Tried the free Get Ready for School Guest Account? We’d love to hear what your child enjoyed most. Let us know in the comments below.