How Parents Can Help Prepare Their Child for Kindergarten

Parents and teachers recognize that each child grows at his or her own particular rate. Parents can help develop a happy inter-relationship between home and school by encouraging children in the following areas:

Putting On Clothes

• Knowing his or her own clothing (put name on coats, hats, scarves, mittens, and boots)
• Putting on clothes in logical order
• Buttoning  and/ or zipping coats                            
• Putting on outdoor clothing
• Tying shoes
  (Send your child in slip-on or Velcro shoes until this skill is learned.)
• Hanging up clothes in orderly fashion               

 

Using the Toilet

• To go to the toilet without help (have clothing which can be managed alone)
• To flush  the toilet
• To wash hands after flushing the toilet         

Healthy Habits

 

• Before school begins, establish a morning routine in your home.

• Sleep ten to twelve hours  each night
• Enjoy quiet time during the day
• Eat well- balanced and unhurried meals (hungry and tired children are not good candidates for a successful school day)
• Wash hands before eating
• Learn to turn the head or use a tissue when sneezing or coughing

Safety

• Teach your child his or her full address and phone number.
• Teach your child the way to school.
• Teach him or her to look both ways before crossing the street.

Developing Desirable Play Habits

• Play with brothers and sisters
• Play and share with other children
• Make new friends
• Feel the importance of taking turns and sharing  with others
• Reinforce helpful behaviors
• Help make decisions in family activities or recreation
• Provide opportunities for outdoor play.

Talking and Listening

• Encourage your child to speak in short sentences about things which interest him or her.
• Encourage your child to look at the speaker.
• Encourage your child to take turns speaking and listening in group conversations
• Help him or her to speak distinctly.
• Read books to your child each day, and reinforce good listening skills.
• Encourage your child to follow 3 step directions.
  
  
  

Gross (Large Muscle) Motor Skills

• Provide opportunities for outdoor play
• Encourage your child to run and skip
• Teach your child how to throw, catch, and kick a ball
  
  
  

Fine Motor Skills

• Give your child opportunities to work with crayons, pencils, and washable markers.
• Reinforce correct pencil grip (See the A-OK handout.)
• Provide opportunities for your child to cut paper with scissors.
• Encourage work with toys that will strengthen your child’s hands or hand-eye coordination – small building toys like legos, pegboards or Lite-Brite, puzzles, play- doh.

Getting Ready to Read                   

• Teach your child to write his or her name using correct form  (First letter only in uppercase.)
• Work on identifying colors.
• Sing the alphabet song and add an ABC Book to your daily read-aloud.
• Work on naming letters.
• Read to your child each day. On several pages, run your finger under the line of print as you read.
• Encourage your child to draw pictures and to tell you about the pictures. 

Getting Ready for Math

 

• Count aloud with your child to 30.
• Count up to 10 objects with 1 to 1 correspondence.
• Work on identifying numerals to 10.
• Begin to write numbers to 10.
• Add a number book to your read-aloud time.
• Work on naming shapes – circle, square, rectangle, triangle, oval, diamond.
• Have your child help sort items – toys, socks, etc.

 

What else does a child need to know before entering kindergarten? 

Check out this wonderful article on Scholastic's website: Non-Academic Kindergarten Skills