Getting Prepared for Kindergarten

Another mom on here gave me a wonderful website to use for my little girl that is starting K-4 tomorrow. Check it out... http://www.starfall.com/

Its Learning with phonics to get ready for kindergarten.

My son is 4 but will be starting K next Fall. I went ahead and asked the Kindergarten teacher at the school he would be attending if she could send me anything outlining what they would like kids to know by the time they enter Kindergarten. What she sent me was extremely helpful.

Some of the things on the list of what she would like them to know is:

Taking turns, sharing, following directions, being able to go to the bathroom by themselves and wash their hands, can eat without assistance, listen to a story without interrupting, can use scissors…stuff like that.

Maybe you can go to your school too and request a list?

Also check out this site:

http://school.familyeducation.com/kindergarten/school-rea...

I agree with the prior posts, and wanted to add that we use workbooks. My kids LOVED doing "homework" to earn stickers or treats. They are esp useful when waiting at a restaurant, drs office, etc.

Lakeshore Learning has great resources. But you can find a Kindergarten workbook at most any WalMart or Target too. Ours have different sections for letters, numbers, colors, etc.

Also, my kids loved using dry erase markers. So we got them some workbooks that used them. It's a great way to reuse them and keep the kids interested since they are so excited to use the markers. Ours were for tracing and writing letters and numbers. They really helped the kids practice upper case and lower case without going through a ton of paper.

I think some of the best things you can teach your child, in addition to the "curriculum" components are how to take care of himself - go potty, pull up and close his own pants, get on his own jacket and shoes, follow simple two step instructions like get your bag and put on your shoes. It's really shocking to me to see how much these "everyday" life skills are lacking in young kids. So many expect a teacher to wipe their noses, zip their jackets, and do EVERYTHING for them. Also, help him to speak to grown ups. Teach him to look someone in the eyes, open his mouth (not mumble) and say yes and no and use his pleases and thank yous. Again, lots of kids get "shy", stick their fingers in their mouths or nod their heads saying "uh-huh".

I have taught my children that grown ups deserve respect. They don't deserve head nods and grunts, they can talk that way with their friends. With me and other grown ups it's "yes please" or "no thank you".

I think the advice you've gotten will help your son do very well in K.

I've always been a fan of Scholastic Books and they have a pretty comprehensive website. (www.scholastic.com)

You can also check the website for the school that you plan to send him to when he reaches kindergarten. Most of them will publish the curriculum for each grade (public or private). If they don't, ask for it.

Finally, just read, read, read to him. Work not only on letters, but the sounds that they make. Give him kid scissors and let him cut, keep practicing writing skills, too. Good luck and have fun with him while he learns!

One school system with an excellent reputation worded it this way;
Kindergartners should be ready to learn math, ready to learn writing, ready to learn about reading. If a child has listened to lots of stories and discussed them, he is ready to learn to read. If you have talked about math in the real world, growing, weighing and measuring him, three forks for three people, etc then he is ready for Kindergarten math, if he can color and cut he is ready to learn to write.
Dont focus on rote memorization(a preschool with a creative curriculum will not) Many five and six year olds can decode words and memorize sight words but cannot discuss a story, and teachers will not move them to a higher reading level. Its great if he can count to 100 or more BUT more imp does he understand sequencing, does he understand more and less (if you get six candies and eat two will you have more or less?
In my experience teaching kindergarten- What's Most Important, be ready to follow rules, learn and follow routines, pay attention, take turns, seperate from Mom, share, be respectful, and be wide awake during the school day

Children LEARN through PLAY! I know it can be difficult to believe, but that is how children learn best :)

Contact your local school district and ask them for a reference on what Kindergardeners are expected to learn at entrance and/or at exit.

in example: My son had to recognize his alphabet both upper and lower case. He needed to know 36 sight words. He needed to count to 100 by 1s, 100 by 5s, 100 by 10s, and 20 by 2s. He also needed to know basic shapes and colours. All by the end of the school year. :)