Kindergarten Readiness

Childhood is peppered with milestones, and few are more momentous than the first day of school. Preparing your child for this milestone can be exhilarating, exhausting, and overwhelming, but we're bringing you tips and insight from the experts on preparing your kids for kindergarten.

Childhood is peppered with milestones, and few are more momentous than the first day of school. Preparing your child for this milestone can be exhilarating, exhausting, and overwhelming. You may wonder if your child has the right skills to succeed in kindergarten. Will kindergarten challenge and engage your child? What do you do if your four year old declares, "I don't care about the letters. I'm not going to learn them until I'm 14"?

The experts, for the most part, agree: don't sweat it. The skills your child needs for kindergarten aren't necessarily academic. Douglas Reeves, Ph.D. and author of 20-Minute Learning Connection: A Practical Guide for Parents Who Want to Help Their Children Succeed in School and Crusade in the Classroom: How George W. Bush's Education reforms Will Affect Your Children, Our Schools, tells parents, "Kindergarten should not be an academic boot camp and giving kids flash cards at age 3 is neither wise nor necessary."

Dr. Peter Stavinoha, neuropsychologist at Children's Medical Center of Dallas, Texas, concurs. "It is a fallacy," he states, "that kids need to be able to read and do math in order to demonstrate readiness for kindergarten."

What skills do preschoolers need to learn for a kindergarten environment?

Stavinoha suggests parents look for learning readiness skills including the abilities to:

• Sit for 15 minutes at a time and demonstrate an adequate attention span
• Follow brief directions
• Take care of general self-help needs
• Be away from parents for a few hours
• Respect authority and follow rules
• Deal with frustration
• Work independently for short periods
• Get along with other children
• Share with others

These kindergarten-readiness traits are best learned from parents, points out Dr. Vicki Folds, Vice-President of Education for Tutor Time Learning Systems, Inc.

How do you prepare your child to learn?

One of the most important things a parent can do is read with her child. Quiet time, without television or interruptions, is essential. Twenty minutes of reading to your child every day will go a long way in fostering a life-long love of books and learning. And while teaching your child to form perfect letters isn't necessary, you can teach him how to hold a pencil or crayon. Sometimes children develop the habit of holding a pencil in the fist, which makes learning to write very difficult. You can also help your child develop the fine-motor skills necessary for writing by providing her ample opportunity to paint or work with modeling clay.

Reading, coloring, and painting are fairly simple additions to your daily routine. Behavioral changes can be more difficult, but are equally important. Pat Hendl, a veteran kindergarten teacher in the Glen Rock New Jersey School District, notes that, "The biggest problem we're seeing is attention span." Children born in the video age are used to pressing the rewind button when they miss something important, and parents can unwittingly nurture this bad habit by repeating directions over and over again. Try giving your preschooler simple directions to follow such as go upstairs, get your shoes, and brush your teeth. Can your child follow two or three step directions, or is he distracted after the first step? If your child is easily distracted, try to make a game out of following directions. Praise him as his ability improves.

Poor listening skills is one behavioral issue that can potentially sidetrack an otherwise bright kindergartener. A lack of respect for adults and authority can also create problems. It used to be, says Hendl, that children never interrupted a conversation between two adults. Now it is an almost daily occurrence at her school. Hendl advises parents not to let children interrupt their conversations. At the same time; however, parents should listen to their children. Take time to look your child in the eye and let her know that what she is saying is worth listening to.

As the big day draws nearer, parents can step up the kindergarten preparations, says Susan Golbeck, associate professor of education at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Don't rush to the store to buy flash cards quite yet. Golbeck's suggestions focus on psychologically preparing your pint-sized scholar. She recommends that parents:

• Visit the new school several times with their child. Introduce the new school and new routines.
• If your child will be riding the bus, you may want to drive the route with your child.
• Try to make play dates with children who will be in your child's class. A familiar face can go a long way on the first few days.
• Help the teacher understand your child. Does he have special needs, dislikes, or likes? You know your child better than anyone, and teachers appreciate any insights into your child's personality.

In certain locales, preparing your child for kindergarten can be a competitive sport. It's hard to remember that your child doesn't need the latest computer game or violin lessons when that's what everyone else is doing. Some gadgets, gizmos, and games may teach phonics and isolated beginning reading skills, but reading to your child nurtures a love of reading. Giving your child time and space to play with blocks or dress-up clothes promotes creativity and imagination. And even if your neighbor's child is reading at four, research shows that early readers are no farther ahead by the middle grades than children who learn to read in first grade. And, in the meantime, they may have missed out on the fun of being four.

Some parents may still need an academic checklist. After all, preparing your child for kindergarten seems too simple. Hopefully, the guidelines issued by Dr. Stavinoha provide some reassurance.

If your child hasn't mastered all of these skills, it isn't time too panic. All children mature differently, but you should share any concerns you have with your child's teacher. Most importantly, relax and remember that preparing your child for kindergarten is as easy as ABC.

Talk to Other Moms Like You: What are you doing to prepare your preschooler for kindergarten?