Category: kindergarten readiness

In the News: Several soon to be Kindergartners got ready their first big day

Getting Ready for School: Four Tips from a Kindergarten Teacher

Getting Ready for School: Four Tips from a Kindergarten Teacher

by Nicole Meier

Heading off to kindergarten can be a time of high emotions: joy, fear, excitement, anxiety, nervousness, sadness, hopefulness, and that is just in the parents!

But seriously, feelings are an important part of getting ready to go to school. Having your child be ready socially and emotionally is more of a priority for kindergarten teachers than academics.

Wait...What?

Did a teacher just say that academics are not the priority?

Academics are a part of school, but most teachers know that teaching the whole child is vital. If children do not know how to self-regulate, get along with others, manage their emotions, and follow directions and listen then the academics will be harder to learn. So how do you have your child be ready socially and emotionally to head to school? Here are a few simple things you can begin doing now to help your child:

1. Have your child play with other children in small groups without you around. This can be play dates with friends, church childcare, leave him/her with a babysitter, Mom's Day Out events, Parks and Rec classes, etc. Find ways where your child can separate from you, the parent. This gives them practice being independent and trusting other adults.

2. How do you handle your emotions as the adult? 93% of communication is said to be nonverbal. Are you portraying excitement, joy, and hopefulness in your face and actions? Your child will take their cues from you. On the first day of school, drop your child off with confidence then go have a good cry and a Starbucks where they cannot see you. Put your brave face on, mom and dad!

3. Are you allowing your child to do things for him or herself? The gift of confidence is one of the most valuable things you can give your child. Notice things your child does and say things like, "I like the way you picked up your toys without being told" or, "you did a great job getting dressed by yourself." You want your child to feel capable. Allow your child to attempt and even have productive struggle with things like buttoning, zipping, tying, etc. Talk to your child about persevering and not giving up. Try, try again is a great thing to teach children when they are young.

4. 'Catch' your child being good by complimenting him when he responds appropriately in a given situation. Encourage social and emotional feats like handling change in a routine, sticking with something until it is complete, anticipating a new activity, increasing responsibility, communicating his/her needs and asking for help, talking with other children, taking turns and sharing, caring for his/her own belongings and respecting others' things.

Children learn social skills best by modeling, repetition and practice. Model good manners and respect for others so your child will do the same. Remember more is 'caught' than taught.

About the Author

Nicole (Nikki) Meier is a kindergarten teacher at Farley Elementary in USD 437. She has an Elementary and Early Childhood degree from Evangel University and is Nationally Board Certified in Early Childhood. She has taught all day Kindergarten starting in 1998, as well as running an after school program K-5 for two years. She teaches over 100 kids a day to swim each summer and also enjoys teaching others through presentations and workshops. Nikki has been honored numerous times for doing what she loves to do. Highlights are being named National Kindergarten Teacher of the Year in 2003 and being a state semi finalist for Kansas Teacher of the Year in 2014. 

10 Ways to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

10 Ways to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

 

1. Be chatty

Whether at the grocery store, the park, or on a walk, those back-and-forth conversations are so important. Build your child’s word bank.

2. Get noisy with a book

It’s the easiest way to get your child ready for school. Reading out loud teaches basics like how to hold a book, when to turn the page, left to right reading, and wondering what will happen next. Let your child create her own book and let her get noisy!

3. Don’t help

Celebrate your child’s independence. Make a chart or poster to celebrate their firsts: unbuttoning a button, zipping a zipper, packing a lunchbox, opening a juice box or knowing her phone number. Look what I can do all by myself!

4. 3 P’s

Play, pretend and practice. Play kindergarten at home. Let your child practice making choices. Prepare her for what to expect. Pretend to get on the bus or say hello to the crossing guard. Pick out clothes and play dress-up. Practice picking out food in the lunch line or prepare a sack lunch. Presto! The 3 P’s in action.

5. Stretch

When your child plays, you can weave in learning by introducing new words and concepts to help stretch her thinking.

  • Did you know that someone who fixes cars is called a mechanic?
  • Want to pretend to be mechanics?
  • Let’s see if we can draw a car.
  • How many cars do you have? How many cars are green?
  • What other words rhyme with car?
  • What letter sound does car start with?

6. Focus on the big and the small

Create a child friendly family game night using large and small muscles. Hop, skip, run, jump, kick and catch. Invite your child to draw and cut straight, wiggly and zig-zag lines. Add listening skills and following directions by making a game like Simon Says or Red Light, Green Light.

7. Make a connection

Play eye spy on a neighborhood walk. Go to the zoo, shop at a farmer’s market or play in the dirt. You are building vocabulary, and giving your child rich experiences to share.

  • I know what a bear looks like.
  • I have tasted a tomato, too.
  • Worms make tunnels in the earth!

Given the opportunity to take risks and explore gives your child the ability to relate events and experiences that they have had outside the classroom to what they are learning in school!

8. Don’t forget about sleep

Parents aren’t the only ones who need sleep. 5-year-olds need about 11-12 hours of sleep per day. About a month before kindergarten starts, get your bodies in sync. Bedtime and wake-up time should sync with school schedules so everyone wakes up on the right side of the bed.

9. Make a date

Make a playdate with other kids or go to the library or park. Kids need practice to learn to take turns, share, listen clean-up and cooperate with other kids. Learning to wait and finding out that no one can always be first or have their own way takes practice. Meeting kids at a park or playground helps transition kids who will be sharing space with twenty other kids instead of just with a brother or a sister!

10. Talk about feelings

It’s okay to cry and miss a parent. It’s okay to feel angry or sad. Strong feelings are normal. Be supportive and celebrate your child’s successes. Model and expect good manners within the family to discourage whining and tantrums. Children who are able to state their wants and needs in a clear and polite manner tend to transition more easily to school. Set aside a time, each evening, to share your child’s day. Don’t expect perfection. If your child was perfect, she wouldn’t have to go to school!