Getting Ready for School -Start Early
Academic Skills Required for All Children BEFORE Kindergarten
Top 15 Things Every Child Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten
1. 1. Be able to state first and last name when asked.
2. Be able to write first name with first letter upper case and remaining letters lower case.
3. Use appropriate three-finger grasp when using writing instruments (pencils, crayons and scissors)
4. Count to at least thirty and tells what number comes before or after a given number to 20.
5. Know all the letters in their first name.
6. Identify basic geometric shapes (triangle, circle, square, rectangle, oval, star, rhombus (diamond) and heart)
7. Know basic colors (red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, black, white, brown, pink)
8. Identify numerals 1-10 in random order.
9. Make most letter/sound matches.
10. Identify most upper and lower case letters.
11. Use finger to accurately touch count items to ten.
12. Knows concepts of print (front and back of book, which page comes first, track words left to right).
13. Be able to rhyme words.
14. Retells simple stories in sequence.
15. When given a word (“man”) and a new beginning sound (/f/), creates the familiar word (“fan”)
Social Skills Required for Children Entering Kindergarten
1. Adjust own clothing before and after using restroom.
2. Use restroom independently including washing hands without reminder.
3. Take off and put on outer clothing
4. Sit for a story for 5-10 minutes
5. Clean up after themselves
6. Shares materials and toys with other children.
7. Attend kindergarten with a positive attitude
8. Be confident and ready to separate from parent.
9.Be able to solve problems without aggression.
Arm Your Child With Knowledge!
1. Going to interesting places such as the beach, park, zoo, airport, farm or lake. (Example: Use car rides to play I Spy, this encourages children to identify shapes, colors and helps develop their vocabulary in fun ways.)
2. Narrate, narrate, narrate! As you go about daily activities, riding in the car, shopping, etc. describe everything, as possible. For example: “See the stop sign. The stop sign is red. The letters are white. Stop is spelled s-t-o-p! “It is time to have a bath. We will fill the tub with water and use soap to get you clean.”
3. Encourage your children to observe and talk about their experiences, as conversations with adults who care enrich a child’s vocabulary and understanding of world.
4. Make eye contact with your child while listening to them speak, showing them that you value what they say.
5. Expose your child to many kinds of literature by reading to them daily.
6. Praise and encourage your child’s efforts and curiosity, knowing that from mistakes come learning and confidence. Criticism can discourage children from trying new things and lower self confidence.
Read, Read, Read!
Fill your house with all kinds of books! Read to your child, starting in infancy. Reading helps develop vocabulary and knowledge about the world! Watching television is not the same as interacting with a loving parent or guardian.
As you read, explain unfamiliar words. Read her favorite books over and over! Ask your child to predict what comes next in the story. Eventually, you will be surprised as your child has memorized the entire story and can tell it to you!
Use favorite stories as teaching tools. Ask your child to pretend she is the main character and ask what she would do differently. Ask your child to make up her own story. Ask her what happens at the beginning, middle and end. Interacting with books provide many teachable moments!
This will only take 10-20 minutes per day, with children ages 0-3, and with children 4 and up, about 30 minutes per day! Make this a habit!
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Coming in 2022! Daniel Cosmo Davis is an extraordinary young man! He loves reading, science, playing chess, and solving problems for his family. Demiurgic is a nickname given to him by his grandmother. It means a powerful creative force or personality. That certainly describes Dan! His cognitive and quick thinking skills are always engaged in helping others, at home and at schools!