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The following are ways that you can help prepare your child for kindergarten. Chances are you are already doing many of these things!
Self-Help Skills
Self-Help Skills
Help your child practice using the toilet independently, pulling up pants, buttoning pants, washing hands properly, blowing nose independently, zipping jacket, zipping backpack, etc.
It can take time and be frustrating to learn these skills. Encourage your child to always try first, then ask for help. Before doing something for your child, show them how and give them instructions breaking it down to one step at a time.
Your child should know parents' names, address, phone number and who it is safe to share that information with.
Teach your child to use his or her words to ask for help both at home and at school.
Talk to Your Child About Kindergarten
Talk to Your Child About Kindergarten
Talk with your child about Kindergarten. Keep in mind that your feelings about this transition may affect how you child feels about it.
Building Literacy and Language Skills
Building Literacy and Language Skills
READ! Read together every day, in any language.
Point out or search for letters, words and numbers in the street signs in your neighborhood
Check out programs at the Johnson Public Library!
See tinyurl.com/HackensackSummerReading for information about the Hackensack Schools Summer Reading Program
Incoming Grade K-1 Suggested Summer Reading Lists: K-1 Grade Suggested Summer Reading.pdf
Tell imaginary and new stories.
Talk about your day at dinner.
Use descriptive language when you speak with your child.
Ask questions!
"Why do you think...?" "I wonder what would happen if...?" "How did you feel when...?"
Drawing and writing
Drawing and writing
Encourage your child to write their name. Model how to form the letters and together identify the letters and sounds. Make sure your child learns to write correctly with an uppercase initial letter and the rest lowercase.
Write letters to family and friends. It's been so long since we have seen many of them!
Have your child help make shopping lists by copying the words off their favorite food packages.
Sing Nursery Rhymes in English or any language.
Nursery rhymes help children learn rhyming, alliteration and other phonological skills.
Activities that Reinforce Math
Activities that Reinforce Math
Count how many times you can bounce a ball.
Count how many times you can catch a ball without dropping it
Look at the shapes and numbers in signs in your neighborhood.
How many 5's can we find on our walk?
Bake together! Follow a recipe and have your child help identify numbers, measure and mix.
Play Board Games
Play Board Games
Math- count dots on dice, spaces on board; identify numbers on spinners
Literacy- begin to recognize that words say something (directions, instructions on cards, name on box)
Social Emotional- persistence, patience, turn-taking and coping when we don't win
Fine motor- moving pieces, flicking spinner
Get Creative and Learn with Family Fun!
Get Creative and Learn with Family Fun!
These are just a few examples of ways the entire family can have fun while your child builds skills
Create a fort using sheets or blankets. Encourage your child to draw or write a plan.
What would you do in a fort?
What kind of sign can we make for our fort?
Ramp up the learning!
Ramp up the learning!
Use a piece of cardboard or anything long and flat to create a ramp.
What objects roll on the ramp? What objects slide?
Which objects roll the furthest? Can you measure how far it rolled?
I wonder what changes we can make to the ramp to make it roll farther?
Learning with playdough!
Learning with playdough!
Playdough is a wonderful learning material. It is open-ended, allowing children to use their creativity and providing opportunity for conversation. It helps develop strength in the muscles in hands and fine motor coordination which are crucial for learning to write. It is also a sensory activity.
Language and Creativity- Give your child a plastic fork and knife. Watch him/her "cook"
Exploring fractions - Ask your child to make a cookie and to cut it in half. Ask, How many pieces do we have? How many cuts do we need to make to make sure everyone in the family has a piece?
Addition- Uh-oh! Auntie called and said that they're coming for dinner! How many more do we need to make?
Writing- Our friends want to know the recipe! Let's write the steps to make it.
Other- use playdough to make letters and numbers.
Shapes- find objects and make imprints. What shape was the object? What about the imprint? Can you describe the shape?
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