If you have a child entering kindergarten shortly, you might have worries about how well he or she is going to do. One of the best indicators for your child's future is how much preparation you can utilize at home first. Is your child prepared to begin their formal education?
Here are a few things your child should know before beginning kindergarten. Fortunately, you can participate in a variety of activities that help your child become successful in kindergarten.
When asked, your child should be able to provide his or her first and last name. Ideally, your child should know how to write their name with the appropriate use of uppercase and lowercase letters. Your child should be able to identify the letters on paper.
You can practice your child's name by writing it at home together, either on paper or a small chalkboard. Finding ways to make the task interesting is a good idea. Use fun colors or trace your child's name in different substances, like sand or flour.
You can also use flashcards to help your child identify letters and provide the sound that they make. Your child can practice the alphabet by putting the cards in order or thinking of words that use similar sounds.
Children who are about to attend kindergarten should have the ability to handle writing instruments and scissors appropriately with three fingers. They should also be able to adequately use glue sticks. Having these items available at home provides great practice.
In addition to using classroom tools, children should also be familiar with the utensils they use to eat, specifically a fork and spoon. Children should be able to feed themselves at school as well as clean up after themselves by putting a tray away and washing their hands.
When your child counts, he or she should be able to get to 30. They should also be able to look at numbers up to ten and identify them. You can start by using your child's age as a base for counting and then move on from that point.
Using fingers, children should be able to count items as well. At home, you can practice counting by looking at groups of items and counting them out loud together. You can use toys, food items, art supplies, and even people to learn counting skills.
Basic shapes should come easily to kindergarteners. These include triangles, circles, squares, stars, diamonds, and hearts. Children learn to identify shapes through play and games like I Spy, which you can play at home, in the car, or even at the grocery store.
Children also benefit from learning their colors early on. Point to items and identify their colors, asking your child to identify colors as they learn the basics. You can also use different crayons to color, identifying the colors as you do.
Children must have the ability to sit still and quietly for five to ten minutes at a time as they listen to instruction or stories. Children should be comfortable sitting without talking or playing and simply paying attention to the teacher.
You can practice listening skills with your child at home. Practice story time at home by reading together, even coming up with favorite books that capture your child's interest.
Finding the perfect daycare center provides amazing preparation for your child's education. You will find that anytime is a good time to explore educational options that benefit your child's future.
