10 Kindergarten Readiness Skills Your Child Needs

What do teachers really want your child to know on the first day of kindergarten? Kindergarten is changing and parents are feeling pressure to prepare their children for their first school experience. But while some may fret that reading and doing addition are prerequisites for kindergarten these days, your child likely possesses many of the skills they needs to be successful as they begins school.

“Some of the things I would like my kids to know coming into kindergarten are alphabet and some sounds, recognition of numbers 1-10, be able to write and recognize their name” says kindergarten teacher. “It is also important for them to be able to follow directions and to have the ability to express their feelings.”

Here are the 10 kindergarten readiness skills to focus on as you work with your child. Don't be concerned if they does not have them all down before the first day of kindergarten, as they will continue to work on them throughout the year. Try a few activities listed for the skills your child might need to work on a bit more before they starts school.

1. Writing

·    Help your child practice writing letters, especially the letters in their name.

·    Teach your child how to write their name with an uppercase first letter and the remaining letters in lowercase.

·     Write in finger paint or sand writing when go to beach side to make practicing more fun and multisensory.

2. Letter Recognition

·    Play games to help your child recognize some letters of the alphabet.

·    Play hide and seek with refrigerator magnets.

·    Rather than drilling your child with flashcards, use them to play a game of alphabet go fish.

3. Recognice Sounds

·   Make your child aware of the sound.

·   Play guessing sound game with them; make them guess the sound of animals, vehicles or musical instrument.

4. Number Recognition and Counting

·   Count throughout the day (for example, the crackers they are eating for snack)

·   Point out numbers you see in your environment and have your child name them (for example, the numbers found on menu or street signs).

5. Colour

·   If your child is having trouble recognizing certain colors, you might add a little food coloring to cookie dough, milk or vanilla pudding to emphasize those colors.

·   Play games in which your child finds objects of particular colors around the house or in the neighborhood as you drive.

6. Shape

·    Help your child recognize basic shapes such as square and triangle by showing them how to draw on paper.

·    Play with play dough and cut out shapes, let your kids sort the shape into group.

7. Fine Motor Skills

·    Give your child several different writing options (colored pencils, crayons or markers) to help keep her interested in writing and drawing.

·    Playing with play dough is a fun way to strengthen the muscles of the hand that will be used for writing.

8. Reading Readiness

·   Run your finger under the words as you read to your child to help her learn that words go from left to right and top to bottom.

·   Read their favorite storybook

9. Attention and Following Directions

·   Read lots of stories with your child and work up to reading longer chapter books, one chapter each night or as long as she remains interested and focused.

·    Give your child two and three step directions. For example: "put on your pajamas, brush your teeth and pick a book to read."

·    Play Simon Says with two or three step directions. For example: "Simon Says jump up and down and shout hooray."

10. Social Skills

·    Give your children opportunities to interact with other children in preschool, social groups or play dates.

·    Teach your child how to express their feelings if they do not like something.

·     Role-play different situations their might experience on the playground or at school. Help them find solutions for typical problems they might encounter.

Chances are you're already practicing many of these skills your child will need for kindergarten. Remember to keep it fun and don’t make it stressful for you or your child. With just a little fun practice, your child will be prepared for her elementary school debut!

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