Getting Ready for Kindergarten

PREPARING YOUR CHILD

Here are some simple ways you can help your child make the most of full-day kindergarten:

• Make learning a regular part of your activities at home (e.g., playing games together, cooking together, using scissors(fine motor skills), colouring (pincer grip).

• Cuddle up and read. Quiet times together are opportunities to bond and read. Put some excitement into your voice. As you go, explain any new words or ideas. Talk about the pictures.

• Games can be great learning tools. Board games or card games like word bingo and rhyming cards can be a fun way to learn about words, letter sounds and reading.

• Use games to help your child learn shapes. Play “I Spy” with your child by asking them to guess an object you identify by its shape: “I spy something that is round”. Make this game more challenging by stating two shapes: “I spy something that is round and has a square on it.”

• Encourage your child to explore interesting materials. These could include leaves, pine cones, egg boxes, cereal boxes, straws, wrapping paper, etc. Children can count them, divide them into equal piles or match them by colour. All of these activities build math and literacy skills.

• Let your child make their own choices when being creative. Keep the activity unstructured. For example, if your child talks about painting a snowman, let them decide what it should look like. Encourage them to talk about their choices, without judging their decisions.

• Encourage questions. Giving children the confidence to ask questions lets them expand their knowledge and understanding using oral communication. Use their questions to introduce new words into their vocabulary. 

• Maintain Structure in the home.