How can you help prepare your child for Kindergarten?

Help to Develop Independence at Home

Encourage you child to dress himself, take his coat on and off and hang it up, use the bathroom without assistance, and wash his hands. Practice opening food packages and cleaning up his own dishes and trash. Reinforce how using manners and being polite are important skills for all of us to demonstrate.

Focus on Self-Help Skills

Your child should know how to wipe her face after lunch without prompting and blow her nose without assistance. We expect students to be responsible for unloading backpacks as well. Please be sure she is also comfortable asking an adult for help when necessary.

Teach Responsibility

Start transferring small responsibilities over to your child. After a family trip to the pool, you might put your child in charge of emptying the backpack or hanging up his wet swimsuit. Even when it may be easier for you to complete these tasks, let him accept the responsibility. Give your child age-appropriate chores (puck up toys, feed a pet, etc.)

Develop and Follow Routines

Set up morning and bedtime routines that will transfer into a school setting. Getting up around the same time every day, and having a set bedtime is a great way to prepare for school.

Read Aloud to Your Child

Take her to the library to check out books. Be sure to read to your child every day. Read a variety of books, read the captions under pictures in the newspaper, even share the comics. Just read!

Engage in Meaningful Literacy Activities

Encourage your child to help you with thank you cards, shopping lists, or notes. She may start with scribbles or pictures, move into scattered letters, and finally some recognizable words as she enters school. Appreciate her attempts and watch her skills develop with practice.

Acknowledge Feelings

Avoid talking about school too much, but don't wait until the end of summer is near to start discussing school. Your child may express being nervous, not wanting to go or, alternatively, feeling very excited to start school. Whatever he feels, take time to acknowledge his feelings.

Academic Expectations

Recognizes first name
Identifies 7-10 letters
Produces 7-10 letter sounds
Counts to 10 by ones
Counts a group of 5 objects
Identifies circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles
Sorts objects by one attribute (color, size, etc.)
Completes fine motor tasks (strings beads, cuts with scissors, completes puzzles)
Writes or draws displaying a correct pencil grip

Expected Behaviors

Follows 2-step directions
Communicates feelings and needs
Listens attentively to a speaker
Explores books independently
Engages in self selected activities
Interacts with peers to work or play cooperatively
Follows classroom rules

Litchfield Early Childhood Center