Preparing for Kindergarten

posted 3/16/24 -- Preschoolers spend lots of time working on the self-help skills they need to take care of their body independently. School readiness skills are equally important.

Teachers expect students to respond when they are spoken to. Help your child practice by encouraging them to look up, make eye contact and/or verbally respond so adults they encounter know they were heard.

Young children respond better when they are given a warning before big transitions and this is common in preschool. In kindergarten, they will need to learn to change activities more quickly. You can practice this too. Try to get your child involved in an (non-screen time) activity that sustains their attention for a length of time (ex. books, games, or art projects). Then help them transition from that activity to a different one.

The ability to hear and distinguish the different sounds in words, also known as phonological awareness, is so important to develop in your child’s brain. Even if your child can’t identify any letters, they can still learn sounds.

Help your child play with sounds by saying rhyming words and tongue twisters. Clap out the syllables in words and try to teach your child new words to build their vocabulary. Have conversations where you are asking your child to remember things that happened in the past and the order of events. Count going up or down steps and compare sizes of things you see. Use directional words like in, under, behind, left and right.

Every day has opportunities for learning if you look for them! Make running errands an adventure by having a contest to see who can find the most letter Zs, red objects or frogs.

Don’t forget Ready Rosie has a video library where you can search easy activities based on your location (on the go, grocery store, outdoors, restaurant waiting, etc.) and by age.

At your upcoming parent teacher conference, you will receive a kindergarten transition folder with a book, school readiness goals and more activities that will help continue the transition to kindergarten.

Remember to talk positively about school and kindergarten so you can help your child become excited about their next big step!