If your child is starting kindergarten this fall, there are some critical skills you can work on this summer to best prepare him for a successful start! Academics can and will be taught at school, so our advice is to focus on the following skills so your child can be independent and successful with their first year in school!
- Standing in line. Your child will need to be able to keep his hands to himself while standing and patiently waiting. You can practice this skill easily while waiting in line at the store. If your child is wearing pants or a skirt/dress with pockets, encourage him/her to keep hands in the pockets instead of hands on other children or objects!
- Raising a hand to talk. Your child should get in the habit of listening when another person is talking, and raising their hand to talk. You can practice this skill at home with conversations during meals and when playing in groups with friends (or group activities led by an adult).
- Writing their first name. Let’s take this a baby step further and work on writing their first name legibly. Your child will be doing countless worksheets, art projects, and other activities that will need their name. Forget the focus on writing the entire alphabet if your child is still unable to write their name. Pro-tip: If your child struggles in this area for whatever reason, get a name stamp so they can still be independent with labeling their work.
- Opening lunch containers. Have you ever spent any time in a cafeteria during an elementary school lunch, where there are a couple hundred very hungry kids and only half a dozen adults to supervise them? Enough said. Practice at home by packing your child’s lunch and having them open plastic bags, milk containers, compartments with lids, and snack packs all by themself. If they cannot master this at home, then trial different ways to package foods. Don’t forget to teach your child how to throw away their trash!
- Going to the bathroom and washing hands. Let’s face it, kids can be a Petri dish for all kinds of germs, and in our current Covid climate we want to be sure they can use the bathroom and wash their hands well. In a classroom of 25-30 kindergarten students with one teacher and maybe one assistant, you want to feel comfortable in your child’s ability to handle themselves in the bathroom. Practice this at home and make sure they can complete all the steps to hand washing. Every. Single. Time. Pro-tip: Practice bathroom needs with your child wearing all that cute new clothing you purchased for school. The adorable pants with the cute embroidery designs and cute pockets will not look so cute if your child is unable to unbutton them in time to make it to the potty!
Want the other 5 kindergarten readiness skills? Like and follow our Facebook page for round 2 of skills to be posted on Wednesday, August 10th! Let’s work on these first!
Got questions or concerns? Call our office for a free screening over Zoom! 703-491-1044