Starting Kindergarten Tips

Is your little one about to start kindergarten? If so, then you must be feeling both excited and nervous. There’s no need to worry, though, for this is an all-natural part of being a parent.

Nevertheless, you can help your child experience kindergarten for the first time in a positive way with these essential starting kindergarten tips

Become involved in the school

A parent’s involvement is necessary for the child to feel more secure, thus, allowing him to perform better in school. This is important in all levels, but especially so in kindergarten.

Teachers would want you to stay in touch with them so that you can collaborate with them to help your child have an enriching learning experience. Get to know your child’s teacher and exchange contact information with him or her.

Also, it helps to do a bit of inspection on the school grounds. For instance, you must ensure that the playground is certified safe for kindergarteners.

Teach your child proper etiquette

Gradually, instill proper manners in your child so that he can interact well with both the kids and adults that he is about to meet. Proper bathroom etiquette such as how to wash hands and flush must not be overlooked as well. That way, your child will know how to use the bathroom with minimal supervision.

Let them practice basic skills ahead of time

Empower your child by equipping him with some basic skills even before he starts kindergarten. This will not only motivate him to want to learn more, but also let him gain the confidence he needs to tackle the tasks in store for him in the classroom.

Here is a list of some of the basic kindergarten readiness skills that you and your little one can bond over for a couple of minutes each day:

Shapes and Color Recognition. Your child will learn how to identify basic shapes and colors. It helps to hang posters of shapes and colors on his bedroom wall and playing several games to help enhance his ability to recognize them.

Letter and Sound Recognition. In most kindergartens, children are taught to recognize the letters of the alphabet, especially the sounds associated with each letter. Aside from singing the Alphabet song, you can also try games such as by playing with alphabet magnets on the refrigerator with your child. A poster with pictures, each of which has a name that starts with a letter in the alphabet, is also useful.

Number recognition. Basic counting skills are taught to kindergarteners, including recognition of the common numeral system (which is Arabic numerals, in most cases). You can recite the numbers with your child and play with number refrigerator magnets, or hang a poster with the numbers and pictures to represent the different numbers.

Fine motor skills. Give your child some crayons, markers and some age-appropriate activity sheets to practice his drawing, coloring and writing skills ahead of time. By letting your child practice early on, he can perform more confidently in the classroom.

Hopefully, these tips have also inspired you to think of even more ways to help your child start kindergarten confidently. Feel free to share these starting kindergarten tips to other parents as well.

Starting Kindergarten with Young Scholars Academy of Colorado Springs

Young Scholars Academy is dedicated to helping you and your child transition into kindergarten. Our Preschool and Junior Kindergarten programs can help your child prepare for the big step into kindergarten. Come check out our programs and contact us today. We look forward to hearing from you!