Year 6 pupils could be the first to return to primary schools from as early as June 1 under plans being considered by the Welsh government.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said those in the top year of primary school could be the first to return, to prepare for the "rite of passage" of moving up to secondary school in the autumn.
He is also looking at prioritising pupils with special educational needs and those who learn in Welsh.
While the ideas are only for Wales, it hints at the path that could be taken throughout the rest of the UK.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has confirmed schools will return in a "phased" way - and is looking at sending back some year groups before others.
And Boris Johnson today emphasised he wants primary pupils to return "as fast as we can".
Meanwhile, Mr Drakeford has emphasised he wants to take the same actions at the same time as the rest of the UK.
School heads say June 1 is the earliest date they can reopen, and they will need around three weeks' notice.
UK ministers have said they will give plenty of notice - which means early June is the earliest possible reopening date if notice is given this week.
Boris Johnson is expected to discuss schools when he outlines a "roadmap" for adjusting the UK lockdown later in the week.
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed he is “talking about the beginning of June” as the first possible date for schools to reopen.
He said advice from unions and councils is that three weeks’ notice would be needed “as a minimum” to reopen classrooms.
So “we are talking about the beginning of June there,” he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show.
He said it “could be” that children in Year 6 - who have the “rite of passage” of ending school - return earlier than younger primary pupils.
While the Welsh government is responsible for Welsh schools, he stressed his “strong preference” is to follow the same plan for the whole of the UK.
“I want to do it on a UK basis and I still think that’s something we can achieve,” he said.
He added: "We are thinking about ways in which we can bring young people with special educational needs back into education.
“We’re thinking about particular year groups, Year 6 children in primary schools, children going up to secondary school.
“We know that’s a rite of passage, you do it with your classmates, and yet you won’t have seen those friends for some weeks now.
“So it could be bringing those children back to school earlier than others.
“We’ve got bilingual education system here in Wales. Children who are learning through the medium of Welsh and may not have Welsh spoken at home - so we need to those children back into education sooner.
“Those are the sort of things we are working on at the moment.”
He said that distancing was needed for public health reasons - and to reassure parents schools are safe.
Mr Drakeford added: “You certainly can’t have schools reopen as they did before and sustain social distancing.”
