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Kindergarten marks the
beginning of exciting new experiences for your child. These experiences
include:
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Interacting with more people
Kindergarten students interact with other teachers, other children and
school staff. |
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New
settings and activities
Your child will have opportunities to use a school gym, library,
cafeteria, and ride a school bus. |
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More
structure and focus on learning
Kindergarten classes have a set routine and students spend time in small
and large group settings learning new concepts and skills in language arts,
math, science, social studies, and fine arts. |
 Spend time speaking with
your child in a
positive manner about these new, exciting experiences!
It is important to remember that children develop at
different times and at their own pace. While letter recognition and writing
his/her name are important, it is more important that your child is
socially, emotionally, and physically ready to tackle the demands of school.
Please feel free to contact your childs school if you have any questions.
In general, a child who is starting kindergarten should
be a ble to demonstrate the following skills:
Personal and Social Readiness
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Uses the bathroom independently |
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Dresses self and buttons/snaps shirts and pants and zips zippers |
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Knows own age and
birthday
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Separates from parents easily |
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Responds appropriately to adult authority |
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Pays attention for short periods of time to
adult-directed tasks |
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Demonstrates self-control |
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Completes tasks willingly |
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Gets along well and shares with others |
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Takes turns when playing with friends |
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Shows an interest in learning and coming to school |
Fine and Gross Motor Readiness
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Traces basic shapes |
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Uses crayons, scissors and glue
correctly
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Throws or catches a large ball |
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Bounces a large ball |
Communication Readiness
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Speaks clearly and communicates needs |
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Uses phrases and sentences of five to six words |
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Can say his or her full name, address and phone
number - including area code |
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Knows parents/guardians first and last names |
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Follows spoken directions and rules |
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Listens to a story without interrupting |
Basic Cognitive Readiness
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Identifies basic colors: red, orange, yellow,
green, blue, purple, brown, black |
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Shows an interest in books and learning to read |
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Recognizes the difference between letters and
numbers |
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Identifies some alphabet letters |
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Recognizes some letter sounds |
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Understands positional words such as up, down,
over, under, beside |
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Recognizes first and last name in print |
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Colors and writes (scribbles, tries to write
letters and numbers) |
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Counts to 10 |
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Shows an interest in numbers and counting
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Help your child prepare for this exciting school year by:
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Making sure he or she is receiving plenty of rest.
Children in kindergarten usually need 10-12 hours of sleep each night. |
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Serving nutritious and unhurried meals. Give your
child a variety of healthy foods each day. |
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Encouraging your child to be polite and to state
feelings, instead of acting them out. |
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Providing numerous opportunities for experiences
with books. |
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Helping your child begin practicing writing his or
her name correctly. Kindergarten children will use the modern manuscript
handwriting method and should write the first letter of their names with
a capital letter and all other letters in lower case. |
Active involvement in your childs school will help answer many of your questions and help your child feel better about entering school. You can be involved in your childs school by:
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Joining the PTA or PTO. |
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Volunteering to help your school. |
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Attending school events, parent conferences, and
meetings. |
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Contacting your childs teacher if you have
questions or concerns. |
Show your interest by:
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Asking your child about his or her favorite school
activities. |
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Reviewing papers and information that come home
daily. |
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Reviewing and signing (when appropriate)
information that comes home in the weekly communication folder. |
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Listening and asking questions about what your
child says about school. |
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Reading to your child every day! |
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