Kindergarten preparation needs to begin early to minimize surprises for both students and families. Building confidence takes repetition and time so give your child lots of chances and ways to practice before the big day.
Children need to work on self-help skills so they can take care of their bodies independently as well as school readiness skills. Here are some common skills you can work on at home:
- Bathroom independence.
- Putting on and zipping their own coat.
- Fastening buttons and snaps.
- Putting on shoes (tying laces will come later).
- Disposing of their own trash.
- Opening food packages.
- Encourage multiple tries at new skills.
- Practice asking for help rather than getting frustrated.
- Play with sounds by saying rhyming words and tongue twisters.
- Clap out the syllables in words and practice new vocabulary.
- Talk about things that happened and practice a correct order of events.
- Count going up and down steps or whenever you can.
- Compare the sizes of things you see.
- Use directional words like in, under, behind, left and right.
Students are expected to be more independent and responsive in kindergarten but you can practice that too. Encourage your child to look up and make eye contact when they are spoken to so the adults they encounter know they were heard.
You can also practice the faster transitions between activities they will encounter in kindergarten. Try to get your child involved in an activity that sustains their attention and then help them transition to a different one.
Routines are critical for early learning. Establish a regular bedtime routine and get in the habit of arriving at school on time.
Many schools offer organized opportunities for rising kindergartners to visit. Take advantage of these or contact the school to arrange your own.
Head Start students in LCCAA’s school-based classrooms have opportunities to visit kindergarten classrooms, the school cafeteria and even the school bus!
You can also try a public library’s story time or a police department’s safety town event to practice school-like experiences.
Remember to always talk positively about school and kindergarten as you get ready for this next step.