Getting Ready for Kindergarten

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Last year I began homeschooling my daughter in preparation for kindergarten. We focused on academics and worked hard to get her prepared for learning. Hopefully giving her a solid foundation.

kindergarten

However, academics are a small part of Kindergarten. I realized that I need to also focus on some other areas of school: eating lunch, walking in line, listening to her teachers, for example.

She did attend daycare form 9 weeks to 2-years-old, so she is familiar with some of the concepts of being a school setting. But, for the past two years, she has been home with me. Free to play and eat at her leisure! I worry that she is in for a big shock on that first day of school! I want to do my best to prepare her – and make her teacher’s life a little easier too!

I reached out to a few Kindergarten teachers and they provided me with some great tips! Here are the areas they suggest focusing on:

  • BEING KIND
  • Taking care of personal belongings/materials (clean up after themselves)
  • Flushing the toilet/being able to use the restroom unassisted
  • Washing hands after using the bathroom/before & after eating
  • Making sure all wardrobe is able to be buttoned and/or zipped by your student independently
  • Eating neatly and throwing away trash when done
  • Recognizing their name on items
  • Writing their own name
  • Does not write their name in all caps (starts with an uppercase big letter and the rest are lower case)
  • Can say and recognize the Alphabet – including letter names and sounds (At least some)
  • Can say and recognize numbers – to at least 10
  • Can say and recognize colors
  • Work on fine motor skills by developing the muscles in their hand (i.e. using playdough, cutting with scissors, making bead necklaces, picking up and sorting small items)
  • Practice Nursery Rhymes (Helps with rhyming, phonemic awareness skills)
  • READ READ READ. Read to them as much as possible
  • Can tie or fasten their own shoes
  • Sitting still for 10 minutes
  • Not talking when other people are talking

What areas are you working with your kiddos on?