By: Elaine M McDermott, Club Z! In-Home Tutoring
Published: May 16, 2022
Website: www.clubztutoring.com/pittsburgh
How do you harness the energy of preschoolers in preparing them for kindergarten?
That’s simple, you embrace it!
Firing up your preschooler with activities that help them to develop early skills in reading, writing and math builds a foundation of excitement and wonder, and hopefully, a love of learning. Finding ways to reinforce learning through activities that feel like play is energizing. Parents involvement in their child’s early education is a critical component to successful cognitive, emotional, social, physical, and language development.
One of the questions that we get asked repeatedly is “how do I make sure that my child is ready for kindergarten?” Focus on cognitive development, emotional/social development, language development, and motor skills development builds the foundation.
Does/Can your child…
- Recognize and name colors, numbers from 1-10, and shapes
- Count to 5, copy simple shapes, know their body parts (head, shoulders, knees, etc), group items that are the same
- Do things for themselves (dress self, put away toys, take care of own toilet needs), shows self-control, comply with rules and routines, ask for help, and has initiative to try new things
- Try to write or draw, write their name, pretend, make up songs and stories, identify some of the alphabet, and recognize some common sight words like “stop”
- Cut with scissors, put ten puzzle pieces together, run, skip, kick a ball, hold and use crayons appropriately and trace basic shapes
These tasks are just a few of the things that your preschooler should be comfortable with demonstrating prior to entering kindergarten. You are not in this alone.
There are many programs available to help you prepare your child for their entrance into kindergarten.
If you would like to see Club Z!’s Kindergarten Readiness Checklist or learn more about our “Let the Learning Begin!TM Program, please check out our blog or reach out for more information by visiting our website.
