GETTING READY FOR KINDERGARTEN

As your child's first teacher, you play an important role in your child's readiness for school. In a national survey, kindergarten teachers said that parents have the biggest impact on whether a child starts school ready to learn.

According to teachers, the most important abilities when children start school are not necessarily the academic skills that we think of, but social-emotional abilities like getting along with other children and teachers, and working on their own without disrupting the classroom.

Skills like naming letters and counting are important of course, but your child learns those and other skills best through play and everyday hands-on experiences such as reading together daily, playing at parks and playgrounds, shopping together, and visiting museums, zoos, and libraries.

Top 10 list of skills that will help your child transition to elementary school

(These skills will continue to be learned and practiced during kindergarten):

Takes care of personal needs: ability to go to the bathroom by self-including wiping self as needed, wipe and blow nose, wash and dry hands, fasten/unfasten clothing as needed including buttons, snaps, buckles, zippers, laces.

Has a 15-minute attention span: ability to stay on task listening to a story, coloring, puzzles, etc. Does NOT include watching TV or videos, playing computer or video games.

Listens while making eye contact and verbally responds when appropriate.

Follows multi-step directions upon first request: example, “Pick up the toy and put it in the box.”

Understands the concept of a story: answer simple questions about a story, look at pictures and tell stories.

Fine motor skills: Holds pencil correctly, looks at a shape and is able to reproduce it, draws a picture, cuts around a simple shape, uses glue and glue sticks.

Knows personal information: recognize written name, write first name beginning with a capital letter and the rest lower case, verbally say first and last name, age, date of birth, parent’s name, learning address and phone number.

Recognizes basic colors and shapes:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon.

Says ABCs: recognize upper and lower case letters, recognize at least letters in name.

Counts: Rote counts to 30 (minimum of 10), counts 12 items, recognizes numbers 1-10

 10 Ways to Get Ready for Kindergarten: 

Create a routine over the summer. Give your child a bedtime (8 p.m. is great!) and stick to it.

Have your child practice writing his/her first-name. If your child can do this, try the last name or practice lower case letters.

Use counting in your daily activities. Count how many steps it takes to get to the mailbox or the park. Count out fruit, placemats, napkins, and so forth.

Take your child with you to the grocery store, post office, library, and other errands. Talk with him/her about what he/she is seeing, hearing, and touching.  It's all part of learning!

Visit your local library and help your child get a free library card. Then use the card to visit the library each week and borrow a book.

Talk about the books you read. Ask questions like: What was your favorite part of the story? Which part did you like the least? Halfway through, ask your child what he/she think will happen at the end.

Let your child practice their independence by allowing him/her to make certain choices ("Do you want an apple or a banana?") and by encouraging him/her to try new things and to problem solve.

Set a limit to the amount of TV your child watches (1-2 hours should be the maximum). When possible, watch TV with him/her and talk about what you see.

Prepare a "study spot" for your child and supply it with crayons, paper, scissors, and other kindergarten tools. Set aside a time each day for your child to draw there. Once school starts, this can become the time and place where your child does their homework.

Help your child know or be able to do the following before he/she enters kindergarten: His/her name, address, and telephone number; to use the bathroom on their own and button and zip their clothes; to share and play with other children. This will help him/her adjust to their new kindergarten classroom.

Read, read, read!

Books about Kindergarten:

There are a large number of different books available about going to school! Here is a partial list of ones that it may be helpful to read and discuss with your child as he/she prepares to start elementary school:

The Berenstain Bears Go to School by Stan & Jan Berenstain

Countdown to Kindergarten by Alison McGhee

How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague

If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff

Kindergarten Rocks! by Katie Davis

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come! by Nancy Carlson

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate

The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing

Tiptoe into Kindergarten by Jacqueline Rogers

Welcome to Kindergarten by Anne Rockwell

Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

We Share Everything! by Robert Munsch