Preparing your child for school can often feel like a daunting task and at times you will question whether you are doing the right thing. The reality is there is no right or wrong way to teach your child everything they need to be prepared to enter Kindergarten. I think it all boils down to "Are they socially, emotionally, and physically ready to take the next step". So the question is, what can you do now to get them prepared.

 

The following list will give you an idea of areas that as a parent you can do to assist with developing their skills and to essentially make the transition into school as smooth as possible. You will find that kids are a sponge early on so start as early as you can and everything will come naturally.

 

1. Encourage: Encourage your child to do or try new things and help them calmly work through  and  any problems while keeping their composure.

2. Share: Something as simple as playing games with others will help them greatly in learning how to share and interact with others. At this young age; especially with younger siblings, I think I found this the hardest thing to overcome but with plenty of patience and persistence they with time will understand why sharing is so important.

3. Independence: If your child does not like being away from you, make sure to allow other adults whom you trust to watch them from time to time. The sooner you introduce them to others the less anxiety they will get when they start school. Start with short periods and work your way up. 

4. Chores: I can't tell you how much I'm thankful for the clean up song at Mid Columbia Gymnastics after playtime.  If you've never heard it, here it is! We sing it like a broken record at home and instead of it being a daunting task it's a competition between my kids. Giving chores to your child also teaches them to follow direction. Doing laundry or cleaning up toys is a great way to have them work on their sorting skills. Have them separate items according to color, size, and shape. 

5. Read: It is very important to read to your child not only to broaden their vocabulary but their knowledge and patience as well. The earlier you start the more likely they will love to read. We started reading before the kids could turn pages and now they like to sit in a corner and read to themselves. They can't read all the words but they love to look at the pictures. It promotes their reading and their imagination. According to studies, you should read at least 20 minutes each day. It is important to show them things we take for granted such as how to hold a book, how to read from left to right, and as they get older follow up with a short discussion of what the book was about. 

6. Draw:  It is important to build their artistic and creative side so let them paint, color, draw both indoors and outdoors. When they were little it was more of a mess than anything so I would let them paint in their high chairs but as they got older we would take it outside and paint the birds and trees. Buy an easel, use a notebook, or workbook and help them write letters and draw shapes. This is a great time to work on the sounds of letters and words. There are lots of workbooks that can help with tracing letters and numbers and when they get older even teach them to write their name. 

7. Numbers and Shapes : Count everything you see from 1 to 20 even when doing daily tasks such as cleaning, cooking, grocery shopping or even driving. Point out circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. Make sure to reiterate colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, brown, and pink.

8. Opposites: Talk about opposite words such as up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, top/bottom, beside/between, off/on, stop/go, big/little, empty/full, and slow/fast. 

9. Active: Give your kids plenty of opportunities for outdoor play by running, jumping, and climbing. Allow them plenty of time to utilize their imagination while playing. 

10. School: Make lots of projects and help your kids become ready for school by using the pencil, ruler, scissors. Teach them how to hold the pencil properly, how to count on the ruler, how to safely use the scissors, and use the glue.
     

Again, there is no right or wrong way to teach them. Below you will find, several organizations available to our area that can assist with getting your kids ready for school. Please don't hesitate to contact them if you have any follow up questions. Especially in the early years, the Mid Columbia library and the Richland Public library was very helpful assisting in getting my kids school ready by provide an abundance of preschool and baby story times with fun crafts and music. Make sure to check them all out!