|
|
 |
Parent’s Guide to Preparing Your Child for School
|
What is School Readiness?
You should allow your child to have the kinds of experiences that will help them do well in school at an early age. “School readiness” means making sure your child has the academic, social, independence, and communication skills require to successful start school. Reading, talking, and playing with others will help your child prepare for their school career.
Academic Readiness
Before starting kindergarten, children need to know about themselves, their families, and the world. Children can come to school with many skills that teachers can build upon, if they have already had good learning experiences at home and with their Parents. To prepare your child academically you can:
- Read to your child each day and talk about what was in the story.
- Visit the library and check out books.
- Sing songs and finger plays.
- Help your child to recognize his or her name in print by writing it in different places that will be seen by your child.
- Teach your child to write.
- Help your child to learn colors by pointing to and naming items like, “red pencil,” “green rug,” or “yellow shirt.”
- Puzzles and games that involve counting and problem solving are good to learn by.
- Let your child draw, write, cut, and paste.
- Teach your child the alphabet song, and show them toys that will help him or her to better understand the alphabet.
- Take your child to different places, like the store, zoo, playground, or an amusement park. Talk to your child about the things that they saw and did.
- Let your child sing, dance, run, and ride bikes or tricycles.
- Pick childcare that teaches children with fun activities.
Social Readiness
Social readiness is also very important. Children need to learn to get along with other children, obey rules, share, take turns, and to leave their parents during school. To prepare your child socially you should:
- Set rules and give punishments when they are broken.
- Give your child a bedtime and a time for meals.
- Talk to your child about how to play and talk with other children.
- Teach your child to take turns and share.
- Try to get your child to finish hard tasks once they have started them.
- Help your child to think about the feelings of others.
- Let your child know of some good ways to express his or her feelings.
- Tell your child that hitting, biting, and screaming are not allowed.
- Be sure to kiss and hug your child many times each day.
Independence
Children feel good about themselves when they learn how to zip their coat or tie their shoes. Their self-esteem is built by doing these things on their own. In school, children have to know how to do some things by themselves. To help your child become more independent you can:
- Buy shoes and clothes that are easy for your child to buckle, zip, and fasten.
- Teach your child how to dress him/herself.
- Have your child do easy chores like setting the table or picking up toys.
- Make sure your child is potty-trained and is taught good hand-washing.
- Let your child finish puzzles or other activities on his or her own.
Communication skills
When children speak and/or listen, they are taking their first steps towards reading and writing. As children talk with others, they learn about people, places, and things that they will later read and write about. Children tell us what they understand about the world through talking. To make sure that your child can communicate well, you can:
- Talk with your child each day.
- Teach your child to listen and reply to others when they talk.
- Always answer your child’s questions.
- Help your child understand and use new words.
- Through singing and rhyming, children can learn new ideas.
- Speak to your child as you want him or her to speak.
- Write notes to your child.
- Help your child say what they want in letters to others.
|
|
|
|
