Guest author Jeanette Norman
Our preschoolers grow up so fast. Before you know it, it is time for kindergarten registration. I just went through this in April. I was concerned as to whether or not Wes was ready to go. He has attended preschool for 2 years now. But attending preschool alone doesn’t guarantee that your baby is ready to be in kindergarten. Here is a short list of things Wes’ future kindergarten teacher told me to look for and work with over the summer with him to make sure he has a basic knowledge to enter the classroom.
· Pay attention for short periods of time to adult-directed tasks
· Understand actions have both causes and effects
· Show understanding of general times of day
· Cut with scissors
· Trace basic shapes
· Begin to share with others
· Start to follow rules
· Manage bathroom needs
· Button shirts, pants, coats, and zip up zippers
· Begin to control oneself
· Separate from parents without being upset
· Speak understandably
· Talk in complete sentences of five to six words
· Identify some alphabet letters
· Recognize some common sight words like "stop"
· Sort similar objects by color, size, and shape
· Recognize groups of one, two, three, four, and five objects
· Count to ten
Depending on the preschool, your child should learn most of these skills there but you will need to help reinforce what he is learning by doing things at home. I keep old magazines around for scissor time. I let him cut pictures and letters out and make collages to hang on the refrigerator, or we focus on a letter for the week and try to spot it in the magazines. We walk to and from preschool everyday and I take both of my kids for walks frequently just to look around the neighborhood. Reading signs to your kids helps their memory, teach letter recognition, and boosts self-esteem when they feel they have pleased you.
During the registration for kindergarten, the school Wes will be attending offered a CD with activities to do with your child to get them ready. It cost only $6. Also, check with your local library for CD-ROMS to check out for kindergarten readiness skills. Arrange a meeting with the future teacher and ask questions. Remember, make the activities fun and don’t push your child to hard to do the activities. If they aren’t interested at the time, try again later. Pushing too hard may make them anxious about learning. Have fun!
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