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getting
read
y for kindergarten
? start now! by jannean dixon, m.ed. a nyone with kids knows how quickly time can fly. one day, you are cuddling your newborn bundle of joy, and the next, you are sending him off to kindergarten. as exciting as this can be,starting school is a really big deal to small child
ren and can be very scary and overwhelming. kindergarten isn?t what it was when i was a tiny student with a too-big backpack and an eager smile. several decades later, we are expecting so much of our smallest students. with help from some amazing teachers in our area, here are seven simple tips to smooth the transition to kindergarten. pro tip #1: start early start early, really early! veteran teacher sallye abadie shares her biggest advice, ?start reading to children early and make it a daily happening. every minute on a lap helps!? according to the program 1,000 books before kindergarten, this may be easier than you think. if you read a book each day to your child (and yes, repeats are definitely allowed!), you can easily read over 1,000 books in just three years. didn?t start reading with your child at birth? start now! it?s never too late to pick up a good book for some snuggle time with your tot. ?one misconception that many parents seem to worry about is whether or not their child can read before kindergarten,? shares ann giles, experienced pre-kindergarten teacher. ?children entering kindergarten do not need to know how to read. learning to read will happen in kindergarten or in first grade. it just really depends on where they are developmentally. what parents can do right now is read to their children. while reading, point out how each sentence begins with a capital letter. point out sight words such as ?and? and ?the?. explain that letters make up words and words make up sentences. what is the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence? also, demonstrate that we read from le? to right. see if your child can retell the story in his own words, through drawings, or by acting it out. can he predict what is coming next? these are early pre- reading skills that will help their child when they enter kindergarten.? pro tip #2: practice social & emotional skills early childhood teacher monique melancon shares that many parents overlook the importance of social and emotional skills before kindergarten. she also explains that skills such as sitting when asked, having a conversation, sharing, turn taking, and following directions can be overlooked in favor of academic readiness. simple activities that parents can do to increase social and emotional readiness are: play board games to practice turn taking, participate in playdates for exposure to playing with peers, and have your child spend time with trusted adults without mom or dad there. pro tip #3: encourage independence most parents are probably glad when the, ?i do it myself!? phase of toddlerhood is over, but now is the time to capitalize on these moments. giles prompts, ?does your child have independent skills? not only daily living independent skills (like using the potty), but can they work independently as well as in a group setting?? to encourage independence in our young children, give them responsibilities. kindergarten teacher bonnie catalano shares 2016-17 cover kids sophia l. and peyton t. 74 b r p a r e n t s . c o m | m a r c h 2 0 1 8
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