Preparing for Kindergarten

Starting school can be very stressful for a 5 year old, especially if they are not emotionally and mentally prepared for this huge transition.

After doing a little research, we have found some ways you can help your child prepare for the rigors of Kindergarten!

• Read, read, and read some more! This is one of the most crucial actions that parents can take toward giving their children a head start in school. It has been proven over and over again that a child's scholastic achievement is directly correlated with the amount of hours their parents read to them.
• Help your children recognize the sounds that letters make, as well as the letters that make up their name.
• Practice sight words; most Kindergartens recommend that children practice sight words before starting school. Sight words include: the, he, she, and, it, etc.
• Help your child practice writing their name and sounding out the individual letters.
• Let them practice writing with different tools: pencils, crayons, maybe even a pen. This strengthens their fine motor skills as well as their little finger muscles.
• Along the lines of fine motor skills, children should be able to button their own buttons and tie their own shoes (if they have laces). Children and teachers can both get frustrated from untied shoe laces.
• It is a smart idea for children to memorize their home phone number and address, just in case they get lost or there is an emergency.
• You can help their emerging math skills by giving them adding/subtracting and sorting activities. Let them help you sort the laundry, M&Ms, or other items. If they seem ready, show them how you can add or take away items to change the amount of the original group.
• Refer to the calendar frequently, and help them understand days of the week.
• Start getting into the schedule of school by going to bed and waking up at the same time each day.

Hopefully this has given you some new ideas on how to better prepare your child for this school year, and for our experienced mothers, we would love some feedback!

What advice do you have? What has worked for you and what hasn't?

Sources:

Teach Mama

Hubbard's Cupboard