As a parent of two kids, making sure my son and daughter were ready for Kindergarten was a task I took seriously. Any parent can do a lot to help their child develop important skills for kindergarten.
Here are some ways to get them ready:
1. Read often to your child
One skill that all kindergarteners must master is the ability to pay attention. Parents who read to their children are at an advantage. Not only are they priming their kids to know that words have sounds and those sounds translate to meaning, but also helping build focus. Children who can attend and sustain their attention span are in sync with teacher expectations of kindergarteners.
2. Listen for and identify rhyming sounds and words
Being able to rhyme can lead to reading success. A great way to encourage kids to hear rhyming sounds is to listen to or read children’s nursery rhymes.
3. Encourage cutting, drawing, tracing, molding, lacing, and painting
Children need to develop fine motor skills early for writing. So, tasks that involve strengthening the tiny muscles in the fingers to develop endurance needed for holding a pencil is ideal.
4. Practice follow directions
Listening and following directions are an important skill for school success. A series of books by Top That direct Pre-K children to match picture magnets to the text on the page. Parents read the sentences on the page while their child listens to and places magnets on the correct spot.
Another great resource for parents is the Get Ready to Read screening tool by the National Center for Learning Disabilities. The site has 20 questions to help parents gauge their child’s road to reading success. The site can recommend additional activities to support critical skills for reading success. For more information, visit www.getreadytoread.org.
The support of a trained educational therapist can make a big difference in a child's readiness for not only kindergarten but for any grade.