Getting Ready For Kindergarten is the starting point for most children’s education.

If you have a son like mine, September can’t come soon enough for him.

Before Kindergarten, they may have been in a daycare or with sitters or a play-nap-learn-play Preschool center or even be well prepared already from a Montessori program.

 

Getting Ready For Kindergarten

But at age 5 (or so), they hear Kindergarten, and to them, that means lunch boxes and recess. 

This year, my son will leave his Home daycare center, where he acquired basic reading and math skills, and enter the public school system.

We are also considering a Montessori Program, but we are undecided.

We are moving over 80 miles away in July, so this new school district is even new to our older son and me, who will enter 10th grade in the new district.

I am moving and sending my baby to kindergarten all in 7 weeks- THANKS!

At least I have my plan; by now, you should also!

At this point, you should have or very, very soon begin to…

• Register them at your school of choice.
• Make their Kindergarten well check – yes, shots are needed if you vaccinate. Polio, DTaP, MMR, Hepatitis B, and Chickenpox…bring lots of patience and rewards for this appointment!
• Talk Kindergarten with your child.
• Sign up for morning or afternoon care if you work—many schools have them. There is also a before-school and after-school YMCA or care program for them. Many children of that age are not allowed at preschool, but by kindergarten, they should now accept your child.

With my son, I am choosing part-time kindergarten to support him at home.  

I think there is so much their eager minds are capable of, and it is not yet used to capacity at kindergarten.

I have begun researching homeschooling programs that will enrich him with age-appropriate geography, science, and history.

This move is for us because of my Husband’s promotion, and I get to leave the full-time work field and stay home.

I couldn’t do all this extra education if I were to work full time.

I feel fortunate to have this opportunity and want to use it to the best of our Boys’ opportunities.

The Kindergarten curriculum may expect a few skills to be in place, and you may need time this summer to prepare your child for these skills.

A standard Kindergarten program wants a child to enter already knowing the following:

• They should know proper hygiene. A child likes to yell for me to “wipe his bottom.” I had to start training him weeks ago to understand that he hates being dirty, but he will be in school soon, and Mommy will not be there to wipe his bottom, and neither will the teacher want that task!
• They should know how to tie their shoes…or go Velcro!
• Use fine motor tools: cut with scissors, hold a pencil, trace basic shapes, bounce a ball, and button/zip clothing.
• Basic reading/writing: Know their first and last name and how to spell first name, recognize the letters of the alphabet and their sounds
• Count – at least 20.
• Social skills such as sharing, listening (or the concept anyhow), understanding a bit of cause and effect, paying attention in short spans,
• have a general sense of times of the day
• ….and some more, but the list can go on and on. These are a few general skills.

 

Kindergarten readiness

At this point, my son needs my attention on tying shoes and starting some Kindergarten readiness this summer to keep his skills up to par. 

Summer is a long period for a 5-year-old, and retention can be lost.

By the end of summer, he will have been weaned on a routine of bedtime, little electronics, and learning time to prepare him for school days.

We love a few online programs for readiness, such as Starfall and ABC Mouse, and we also like intriguing them with characters they are familiar with. 

Nickjr.com has math lessons in its Team Umizoomi games, and Disney Jr. has a two-player Mickey Mouse game to teach sharing and learning skills. 

They have more fun when they can relate. Education.com is like a Groupon for all things education-related, and you can score some great deals and find fun stuff there.

Be an involved parent

If you can, be involved!

Get into that classroom.

It is your window into your child and creates a special relationship with their teacher that will bring you better insight to how they are coping and managing throughout the year.

If you work full-time, perhaps your spouse or parent can sign up to volunteer.

Even if just a one-hour slot a week is all you can give, it will help the teacher and be a huge experience for you!

Let me tell you a story that happened this year that made me completely see my son in a different light just by one experience that happened on a Monday shift I took in his classroom:

Early on this school year, I was helping out in the classroom and l watched him fidget, stare out the window, doodle all while teacher is talking and explaining an assignment.

I noticed, she did not correct him (he is not being disturbing, just appears bored). At first, this bothered me that he was ‘misbehaving”.

But, the more I watched and paid attention the more I saw something incredible.

He is so bored, does not listen to instruction and is drawing pictures and when the assignments are handed out, he finishes first and is 100% correct!

How did he get it-he wasn’t even listening?

It was by chatting with his teacher I found out that he scored 220 out of the needed 125 of a kindergarten progress test.

My son was ready for first grade last September!

But, socially he gained so much this year I would never go back and skip him forward early to first grade!

Social Drama

They are so sensitive at this age!

Be ready for them to arrive home, half in tears because so-and-so called them a liar or wouldn’t play with him or her today!

I was unprepared for my son’s emotions as he trailed through this new social life.

I immediately knew that I needed to guide him, not make a big deal about things, but listen because he was frustrated and needed to be heard.

If I don’t stress, neither will he.

Kids get grumpy and hit but also learn that behavior like that can cause them to lose friends.

My goal was to be an adult with my son.

I would tell him that it is OK to tell his friends they are rude or mean and that he doesn’t care to play with them today.

Then I tell him that sometimes his friends may have had to stay up late or had a busy weekend and that when kids get tired, they get grumpy.

I knew he could relate to that, and I assured him that his grumpy friend would most likely come to school the next day in a better mood.

When children hear that a child doesn’t want to play with them because they are not acting right?

You will witness the moody child quickly fix his behavior to become accepted.

Their peers will guide them, too. It is a non-bossy way for my son to let his peers know that nasty behavior is not going to result in fun games for them.

This has worked well for my son and helps him not take others’ actions towards him so seriously!

Academics

By the start of Kindergarten, there are a few things they should know how to do!

Let me list just a few key items they should know

• write their first and last name
• basic colors
• numbers 1-10 in sequential order
• concept of rhyming
• use the washroom facilities and adjust clothing in a restroom on their own
• sit contently for 5-10 minutes
• clean up after themselves
• understand most letter sounds

Again, I can’t emphasize enough that reading is the #1 skill your child must excel at.

Summer Goals Preparing for Kindergarten

Take this summer to build their self-worth a bit more.

Look at them in the eye as they speak. Listen to them.

As toddlers, we are used to anticipating their needs and wants for what we know is best for them.

Now that your child is becoming older, value their opinions.

Give them a task in their daily routine that they want to be changed and allow the change if appropriate.

Throw out that chore chart they’ve had since they were two and sit down with them to create a new ‘big girl or boy’ chart.

Read! Read every night.

Please send them to school as a Kindergartener with a positive attitude and the structure of reading daily.

Most likely, this will be a homework task for years to come. Read nightly!

Twenty minutes is standard a day.

Let them sound out words, or at least try.

Get books that are not too advanced so you do not discourage them from attempting letter sounds.

Take library visits together

This is a great age to find Level 1 chapters or series books.

Start that drive of not just looking at books as words. They need to know and sound out like it is a chore, but get them excited about “what happens next.”

They will learn about ‘mental images’ early in kindergarten.

It is the term used by their teacher to help them imagine the story coming to life as they read.

Practice mental images by reading a few lines and then asking them what they think will happen next. Read on to see!

There is so much advice to give:

• Preparing them socially and academically and working with the teacher.
• Putting yourself in the classroom will make a huge impact on the experience you and your child will have this year, which will truly begin to define them as children!

Read these articles: 5 Year Round Homeschooling, How Homeschooling Improved our Family Life, and 7 Tips to Help Your Child Socialize at School.