KINDERGARTEN READINESS IDEAS

Suggestions to help prepare preschoolers for kindergarten:

• Read, read, read to your child – everyday o 15 minutes of story time daily o nursery rhymes o ask questions about the pictures and story

• Teach your child his/her full name, address, phone number. When helping your child print their name, keep in mind that only the first letter should be capitalized.

• Play with puzzles, wooden blocks, sing songs together, play games • Establish a schedule at home. Children need structure.

o have a set bedtime o give your child regular chores

• Help your child begin to develop initiative and responsibility. o dressing him/herself o self-help skills such as zipping, buttoning, and snapping o pull open own snack bags

• Hygiene skills: o using the bathroom independently and correctly o blowing own nose o washing hands

• Taking care of own belongings: o hanging up coat o unpacking, packing bookbag o taking care of library books

• Talk with your child o ask your child questions and listen to their answers

• Have your child look into your eyes while they are talking to you.

RHYMES AND CHANTS

Rhymes and chants are fun for children. They help children to: exercise their memory; hear rhyming words; develop an inner sense of timing. Say these rhymes and chants with an underlying beat. Tap your toe, pat your knees, or rock side-to-side to keep the beat. Use your voice to make the words musical. Hey Diddle Diddle Hey diddle, diddle The cat and the fiddle The cow jumped over the moon The little dog laughed to see such sport And the dish ran away with the spoon.

From Wibbleton to Wobbleton From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is fifteen miles From Wobbleton to Wibbleton is fifteen miles From Wibbleton to Wobbleton From Wobbleton to Wibbleton From Wibbleton to Wobbleton is fifteen miles

Higglety Pigglety Pop! Higglety Pigglety Pop! The dog has eaten the mop. The pig’s in a hurry, The cat’s in a flurry, Higglety Pigglety Pop!

LANGUAGE AND LISTENING SUGGESTIONS

• READ OUT LOUD TO YOUR CHILD! Point out new vocabulary words. Be sure to include adjectives, or descriptive words about size, shape, texture, smell, emotions, likenesses and differences.

• Talk out loud about what you or your child is doing as you go through your day (i.e., “I am getting a LARGE pan out of the CUPBOARD. NEXT I am putting it ON TOP of the STOVE. That’s where the BURNERS are. Will you get me a MEDIUM spoon?” “You’re folding the BIGGEST towel. It feels SOFT and FLUFFY. Now you have the SQUARE WASHCLOTH in your LEFT hand.”) Be sure to use descriptive words and new vocabulary, and let the conversation flow naturally.

• Try to expose your child to new categories of words, such as ANIMALS, FOODS, FURNITURE, VEHICLES. You can also divide categories even further, such as FRUITS/VEGETABLES, ZOO ANIMALS/FARM ANIMALS/OCEAN ANIMALS, BATHROOM FURNITURE/BEDROOM FURNITURE/KITCHEN FURNITURE/ THINGS THAT FLY/THINGS THAT GO ON THE ROAD/THINGS THAT GO IN THE WATER.

• Play “Simon Says” with your child. Instead of only doing one thing, have Simon give 2 and 3 things to do (i.e., “Simon Says jump up and down, touch your head, and stick out your tongue.”) Use descriptive words, too, like “slow, fast, high, low, behind, next to,” etc.

• Play grocery store with your child. Gather some foods on the table, get a grocery bag, and have your child “fill your order.” Say, “I would like one can of soup, one jar of spaghetti sauce, and one yellow apple.” Your child has to then place these objects in the bag. Remember to use descriptive terms – size, shapes, colors, textures. Also, you can discuss food categories (FRUITS, VEGETABLES, MEATS, DAIRY PRODUCTS, CANNED FOOD, etc.).

• Tell your child a funny sentence in the morning, such as “The purple cows were flying,” and ask your child to repeat it back to you at the end of the day.

NUMBER FLASHCARDS

Use the number flashcards to practice: • number recognition • putting the cards in correct order • counting the cards in order (1, 2, 3….16) • match the number cards to numbers around your house (examples, clock,

address, phone number)

FUN AND EASY ACTIVITIES WITH LETTERS AND NUMBERS

YOU AND YOUR CHILD CAN:

• Tape a card with a letter written on it in your car. Have your child look for

this letter on signs as you do errands. - Count the number of times you see that letter. - What other letters/symbols/shapes do you see?

• Look for letters and numbers in the newspaper. Circle them with your child’s

favorite colors. • Look for patterns in magazines (AB, AAB, ABB, ABC, etc.). Gather objects

from around your home and try to copy those patterns.

• Cut out numbers from magazines. - Which one is more? less? equal? - Place them in a baggie and add to your number collection as new

numbers are discovered.

• Count by 2’s/5’s/10’s as you walk up the steps in your house or as you toss a ball.

• Read cereal boxes

- Who can find the most of a letter? - What letters can you find that are in your name? - Count the cereal by 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, and eat it.

• Read signs in your community - Spell “stop” with your child. - What shape is the sign? - What letter does the word start with? - Count stop signs

• Play I Spy… - Something that starts with the letter______ (example, B-Butterfly) - A shape (example, circle) - ___#___ of something (example, 2 birds)

• Have your child sort their Lego’s

- by color - by shape - How many are in each group? - Count the dots on the Lego’s

• “Write” a letter or number on your child’s palm and have them guess the

letter or number. • Look for a letter in word search puzzles. Circle different letters with

different colors.

• Use dominoes to practice adding.

• Go on a color hunt in your house or outside. - Put items in a bag or - Put post-it notes on those objects

• Look through a cookbook with your child.

- Note the numbers and fractions. - Which picture is your favorite and why?

• Use shaving cream to write letters and numbers in. • Put measuring spoons and cups in the bathtub.

• Let your child be the teacher during any of these activities.

THE STORY STAR!

What were the most important things that happened?

What did you think of the story?

Who was in the story?

Where did the story take place?

Was there a problem? What was it?

How was it solved?