Preparing for Preschool and Kindergarten

The summer is winding down and it’s almost time for the kiddies to head back to school. Some parents are counting down the days until the school bell rings while others are still trying to fit in a family vacation. For parents, children entering preschool or kindergarten, this will be a super exciting time! Many little kids will be starting preschool or kindergarten for the first time in just a few days! Although the first day of school is just around the corner, I couldn’t help but to give a few tips to my readers for last minute preparations! If you’re behind on some of these, it’s okay, start now! 

Here are a few great tips that I found on preparing your little ones for preschool and Kindergarten (I’ve included a couple of my own.)

1. Give your child a bedtime of around 8 pm and stick to it! (I’m preaching to myself here)
2. Read Daily. Create a book nook (a reading corner) and read a book each night together before bed. You can always get a jump start on reading by going to the library and checking out age appropriate books. You’ll be surprised at how their imaginations soar as you read to them daily.
3. School Shopping. After you get the school supply list, take your child shopping with you. Make a fun trip out of it, allowing them to pick out their own book-bag and lunch box, crayons, etc. and maybe even allow them to pick out a new snack.
4. Following directions. Your child should be able to follow two-step directions such as take off your shoes and come sit at the table. In school, they will be asked to complete many tasks on their own and regulate their emotions. Be sure they are able to take their own shoes and coats on and off, and zip their backpacks without help. They also need to know how to take turns with friends. (Washington Post)
5. Basic Letter and Number Recognition. Kindergarten teachers believe that it is their responsibility to teach kids letter sounds and how to write, but they do hope incoming students can recognize most letters by sight. They also hope children can count to 10, identify numbers 1 to 5, and know some shapes and colors (Scholastic).
6. The Desire to Be Independent. Encouraging self-help skills is an important step to preparing your child for kindergarten (Scholastic).
7. Bring up school in conversations at home as much as possible. Talk about the fun things your child will get to do. Don’t express regret that he’s starting school. Make sure he views it as a positive step (School Family).
8. Think about creating a special good-bye routine. For example, you can give your child a kiss on his or her palm to “hold” all day long.  Or, the two of you can sing a special song together before you leave. Good-bye routines are comforting to children and help them understand and prepare for what will happen next (Zero to Three)
9. Fine-Tune Fine Motor Skills. Prior to preschool, help your child develop his fine motor skills during play by creating a fun craft that involves snipping paper, coloring, and gluing. Provide little ones with Play-Doh and scissors as well. “Cutting Play-Doh provides practice with proper hand placement and gives a child the basic idea of how to open and close the scissors for cutting. (Parents)
10. Download the Getting Ready for Kindergarten Handouts from Get Ready To Read.
11. FOR PARENTS: Get your tissues ready but hold it together until you get back to the car!

What are some things that you have done to prepare your little ones for school?

Check out Moms with Tots on Pintrest to see more preparation ideas!