Activities To Prepare For Kindergarten
With kindergarten registration open across the country, parents often wonder how to chose activities to prepare for kindergarten. Kindergarten is an exciting time for kids but it is important to prepare them, so they can put their best foot forward. From social and emotional to academic skills, the list can be daunting.
Although Pre-K learning standards vary from state to state, there are some common themes for the academic skills required in kindergarten. Pre-K standards can be broken down in two ways.
As a parent, you can prepare your child with the basics or choose to go beyond and offer a head start on learning skills that will be taught in the classroom. Here are just a few suggestions of activities to prepare for kindergarten:
5 Activities To Prepare For Kindergarten
- Practice the Alphabet: Using an alphabet poster or book, start with printing the uppercase letters in order. Practice griping the pencil or crayon correctly!
- Recognize Numbers to 10: Introduce numbers by counting fingers to 10, counting book pages and printing numbers.
- Print First Name: Practice printing first names. This is a common skill required in the first few weeks of kindergarten!
- Have a Knowledge of Colors: Point out colors on a walk, in a garden, around the home or using clothing. Repeat often!
- Identify Shapes: The home and the neighborhood are full of shapes. Pointing out windows, doors, toilet seats and car wheels can help preschoolers understand shapes quickly.
5 Activities To Get A Head Start On Classroom Learning
- Recognize and Print All Letters of the Alphabet: Practice printing all of the letters of the alphabet, both upper and lowercase on a daily basis.
- Identify Sight Words: Introduce letter sounds with flashcards and beginner readers. Use Dolch or Fry’s list of sight words to introduce new words.
- Recognize and Write Numbers to 30: Use books, flashcards or a number poster to show the progression of numbers 1-30. Eventually move to numbers to 100.
- Add and Subtract: Adding and subtracting on fingers or using food such as cereal, grapes or peas can make adding and subtracting real for preschoolers. Start with adding to 5 then subtracting.
- Recite Days of the Week, Months of the Year: On a daily basis, talk about the day of the week, the month and the date. Use a calendar to practice the vocabulary and counting the days of each month.
In just 20 minutes a day, your preschooler can master the skills necessary for kindergarten by using the Teach My Preschooler Learning Kit. To give a head start, take a look at Teach My Kindergartener.
