GETTING READY FOR KINDERGARTEN
Welcome to Kindergarten! Many times, new kindergarten parents ask for tips on how to prepare their child for kindergarten. Here are a few things that will help.
Work with your child on writing their name. In preschool they may have learned to write it with all capital (upper case) letters. Work on helping them write it the "Kindergarten" way beginning with an upper case letter and following with lower case letters.
Sing the ABC song (make sure your child is singing every letter and can slow down on L, M, N, O, P).
Work on naming and recognizing letters and environmental print.
Read, read, and read more! Read to your child daily at home. Point to the words. As your child watches you, you are modeling that words convey meaning in the story and that text is read from left to right. Talk about the stories read with your child.
Count a lot! Count with your child using toys, at the market, etc.
Provide your child many opportunities for "play dates". As your child interacts with peers, they are working on communication skills, sharing, turn taking, etc.
Does your child have all of these skills already in place? Can your child already read? Great! Kindergarten classes always have a range of learners. Your child's teacher is a professional and knows what skills kindergarten students need to be successful. If at any time you feel your child is behind and struggling with the content, or your child is advanced and needs a bigger challenge, reach out to your child's teacher for differentiated assignments.
I also wanted to share some thoughts as an educator.... Students learn best when they are in the zone of proximal development. This is the zone where there is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance from an adult. In the classroom, as a student becomes more proficient in a skill, the adult gradually stops helping until the student can perform the task by themselves.
As parents, we may not wish to witness our children struggling when it comes to learning. However, struggling is how learning happens! This article does a great job of explaining the importance of struggle in the learning process, and I encourage every parent to read it. As tough as it may seem, practice stepping back and letting your child gain independence, develop advocacy by asking their teacher for support, and recognize their own learning. This metacognition is critical for students as learners. One of the most important jobs parents can do is being positive and recognizing your child's effort over their achievement.
Welcome to Kindergarten! Many times, new kindergarten parents ask for tips on how to prepare their child for kindergarten. Here are a few things that will help.
Work with your child on writing their name. In preschool they may have learned to write it with all capital (upper case) letters. Work on helping them write it the "Kindergarten" way beginning with an upper case letter and following with lower case letters.
Sing the ABC song (make sure your child is singing every letter and can slow down on L, M, N, O, P).
Work on naming and recognizing letters and environmental print.
Read, read, and read more! Read to your child daily at home. Point to the words. As your child watches you, you are modeling that words convey meaning in the story and that text is read from left to right. Talk about the stories read with your child.
Count a lot! Count with your child using toys, at the market, etc.
Provide your child many opportunities for "play dates". As your child interacts with peers, they are working on communication skills, sharing, turn taking, etc.
Does your child have all of these skills already in place? Can your child already read? Great! Kindergarten classes always have a range of learners. Your child's teacher is a professional and knows what skills kindergarten students need to be successful. If at any time you feel your child is behind and struggling with the content, or your child is advanced and needs a bigger challenge, reach out to your child's teacher for differentiated assignments.
I also wanted to share some thoughts as an educator.... Students learn best when they are in the zone of proximal development. This is the zone where there is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance from an adult. In the classroom, as a student becomes more proficient in a skill, the adult gradually stops helping until the student can perform the task by themselves.
As parents, we may not wish to witness our children struggling when it comes to learning. However, struggling is how learning happens! This article does a great job of explaining the importance of struggle in the learning process, and I encourage every parent to read it. As tough as it may seem, practice stepping back and letting your child gain independence, develop advocacy by asking their teacher for support, and recognize their own learning. This metacognition is critical for students as learners. One of the most important jobs parents can do is being positive and recognizing your child's effort over their achievement.