Below is a list of things that you can do with your 4-5 year old who will be entering kindergartner in the next several months. The list is broken down into 2 sections: the first are things you can do daily which involves routines, and the second list covers things you may want to work on once or twice a week.
If you haven’t already grabbed our FREE guide to kindergarten readiness which outlines the 4 most important areas for preparation, get your copy now!
Daily Practices for Kindergarten Readiness
- Self-Care Skills: Teach your child to use the bathroom independently, wash their hands, and dress themselves (especially putting on shoes, putting on/taking off jackets)
- Personal Belongings: Practice packing and unpacking their backpack, opening and closing their lunchbox, opening and closing their water bottle, and putting away things when they are done.
- Reading Together: Read to your child daily and discuss the stories. Encourage them to ask questions and talk about the pictures. Read a variety of books, read signs on your walk, read packaging at the grocery store. Just read!
- Bedtime and Wake-Up Time: Start setting a regular bedtime and wake-up time a few weeks before school begins. Ensure your child gets adequate sleep.
- Meal Times: Try to adhere to regular meal and snack times, just as your child will need to do at school. If your child is a regular snacker, getting into a new routine of scheduled meal and snack times will take some practice but will be worth it in the end!
- Practice the Morning Routine: Include activities like getting dressed, brushing teeth, and having breakfast. Starting this routine now will help ease the transition once it’s time for school to start.
When working on these things, it’s OK to talk about how we’re preparing for kindergarten, but don’t overdo it. If a child feels pushed to do many things indepenednetly at once (and all because kindergarten is coming!), it can cause anxiety. Take it easy, use lots of encouragement and if it’s not working today, relax and try again tomorrow.
Weekly Practices for Kindergarten Readiness
- Foster social skills: Arrange playdates with other children to practice sharing, taking turns, and cooperating. Visit scheduled community activities like story-time at the library where you child can be around other children and practice sitting and listening to the teacher. Play board games as a family to practice cooperation and taking turns.
- Literacy Practice: Play games that involve identifying letters and sounds, like alphabet puzzles or letter matching. Provide opportunities for your child to practice writing their name (like signing their artwork when they’re done) and other simple words.
- Math practice: Incorporate counting into daily activities, like counting steps or toys. Provide puzzles and games that challenge your child’s problem-solving abilities.
Supporting Your Child’s Emotional Readiness for Kindergarten
Supporting your child’s emotional readiness is just as important as academic preparation.
- Talk About School: Discuss what they can expect at school and address any fears or concerns they may have. There are so many books available today about the transition to kindergarten- these will be enormously helpful to your child! Let your child know it’s okay to feel nervous and encourage them to talk about their emotions.
- Positive Reinforcement: Use positive language and reinforcement to build excitement about starting school.
What questions do you have?
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