Parent-teacher conferences are a crucial time for you to
communicate with your child's teacher and better understand your little
one's academic progress. For kindergarteners, these conferences can be
especially beneficial as parents learn about their child's development and
how the teacher is helping them grow.
You need to utilize this time with your child's
teacher effectively, which is why you should come into the conference prepared.
Here are some key questions to ask during a parent-teacher conference and what
you can expect from a conversation with your child's teacher.
What Will Children Learn This Year?
Since kindergarten is a foundational year, you need to
understand what your child will focus on and what skills they should
develop. Kindergarten typically focuses on social-emotional development,
pre-reading skills, and basic math concepts.
Social-emotional development includes learning how to
interact with others, forming relationships, and understanding emotions. These
skills are just as important as academic ones, especially for
young children. They get to understand the building blocks of
communication and what it means to be a part of a classroom community.
Pre-reading skills involve identifying sounds and letters,
as well as beginning to read basic words. This forms the base for literacy
skills before the child has to take on more advanced reading and
writing tasks.
Basic math concepts start with counting and simple shapes
and move up to basic addition and subtraction around first grade. With these
core skills in mind, your child should get a solid foundation and be
able to explore more complex problems later on.
Can You Explain Your Teaching Style?
Different teachers have different approaches to teaching,
so you'll want to understand how your child's teacher teaches. Different
teaching styles can affect how your child learns, especially when
understanding abstract concepts. Ask the teacher about how they teach a concept
and if any specific method works best with your child.
For example, some teachers may use a more hands-on
approach, while others use visuals––depending on which style works better for
the child. The learning approach will also help you determine how to
support your child at home better. You'll know what types of
activities to do together that align with the teaching style in the classroom.
Understanding how your teacher deals with specific learning
challenges is also important. Do they have any strategies to
help children struggling with specific concepts? What about
techniques for managing behavior? You need to know how a teacher deals with
these issues in the classroom so you can be on the same page regarding
your child's education.
What Can Parents Do to Stay Involved?
Your work as a parent does not end when you drop
your child off at school. You also need to figure out ways to stay
involved in your child's education and be aware of how they're doing. And
although stay-at-home parents may have more time to participate in
their child's education, it doesn't mean working parents can't be involved
as well.
The teacher should be able to share ideas on staying
involved, such as attending special school events or volunteering in the
classroom. Many teachers have parent volunteers come into the classroom and
help with activities like reading stories or helping students with worksheets.
You can also ask the teacher about upcoming projects or
activities you can help complete at home with your child. This is an
excellent way to stay involved and allow your child to have a sense
of ownership over their learning process. As long you and the teachers remain
active in your child's education, it will be a collaborative effort that
will allow for more meaningful strides.
At
Riviera Daycare & Preschool, we
always encourage parents to actively participate in their child's
education. And with these tips, you'll be able to make the most out of your
parent-teacher relationship and foster a strong foundation for
your child's future learning opportunities.
