Ready Set......Kindergarten Parent Hints

What an exciting time this is for your family!

Starting Kindergarten is a huge milestone for your child (and you)!

You are probably feeling a whole range of emotions.

Here are some things that we hope will ease your mind as you get ready to launch your child into the world of K-12 education.

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Kindergarten means“children’s garden” in German. The original purpose of Kindergarten was to socialize children – to get them used to interacting with others. It was the time for children to make the transition from being at home all day to attending school. In 2007, this is no longer the primary focus.

Many children have had experiences in pre-school and/or daycare settings. They have been in "school-like" situations. They already have experience working and playing with other children. Today's schools recognizes this and have created an environment that builds on these prior experiences. At PSI there is a well defined set of outcomes that the program focuses on. You will be receiving detailed information about this curriculum.

Most parents wonder if thier student is "ready for Kindergarten". The real test of kindergarten readiness is the child’s ability to think logically, speak plainly, and relate to others.

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In general, your kindergarten-age child should have:

• Motor skills. This includes both large muscle activities such as walking a straight line and throwing a ball, and small muscle activities like drawing, coloring, and writing letters (or at least trying to).
• Academic skills, such as conveying stories and ideas in complete and descriptive sentences, concentrating on a task for ten minutes, knowing and identifying colors, knowing the letters in her name (and recognizing it in print), knowing numbers through at least ten, and knowledge of basic shapes. She should also be able to answer questions regarding her environment (“How many girls are at this table?”), identify opposites, and understand differences and similarities between items.
• Social skills. Playing cooperatively with other children, sharing, picking up toys when he’s finished with them, and following a routine all fall under this skill category.
• Personal skills, such as handling clothing unassisted (hanging up her coat, buttoning her pants), communicating clearly so that others can easily understand her, and taking care of personal care – going to the bathroom, washing her hands, blowing her nose – by herself.
• Curiosity and a desire to learn.

What can you do to help prepare your child for Kindergarten?

Social and Personal Readiness

• Teach your child how to listen:
• Practice having your child look into the speaker’s eyes and wait to speak until the other person has finished.
• Establish a daily routine well before school starts, help your child understand that the routine is a practice for when school starts in the fall.
• Give your child responsibilities to accomplish every day. Keep track of the tasks and give positive feedback for a job well done.
• Provide opportunities for your child with plenty to socialize with other children.
• Set an example for your child... express your own feelings in an appropriate manner and use self-control.
• Help your child practice using words to solve problems.

Academic Readiness

• Read with your child every day..... foster a love of reading early on. Your child will love this and it will help him to recognize letters and words.
  • Visit the library and let him pick out what books he’d like to read.
  • Take advantage of the library’s story time.
  • encourage your child to read signs, billboards, and bumper stickers
• Write with your child.....let your child help you make lists and notes
  • Create rhymes with your child and make them into silly songs.
  • Have your child practice writing his name with chalk on the sidewalk, soap crayons in the bath, glittery crayons or markers, finger paints, pudding or anything else that’s fun.
• Cook with your child. Have your child help you in the kitchen by measuring and mixing. Talk about quantities, textures, tastes and smells.
• Sort things with your child. Talk about categories and practice separating all the freezer-bound groceries from the rest, putting socks together while doing laundry, or go the yummy route and let him sort a pack of Skittles or M&Ms into piles of the same color!
• Count with your child. Talk about numbers and counting in your daily activities.
• Do puzzles and logic games with your child. Talk about how to solve problems.

Help your child understand these important safety considerations in a calm and matter of fact way:

• Your child should be able to recite her full name and parents’ names, her address, and telephone number before going off to school. You can work on these skills starting now. Make the learning in to a game.
• Make sure she knows what to do in case she’s approached by a stranger.
• Go for walks and practice walking on the sidewalk, crossing at crosswalks, and looking both ways before crossing the street.
• And make sure that she knows exactly how she’s getting home: her bus number and driver’s name, if she rides the bus; who may be picking her up (make a list and tell her to only ride with those designated people); or how to get home if she’s walking (practice the route several times, or just walk with her).
• Devise an alternate plan in case one way of getting home falls through.