Preparing for Kindergarten

I was reading a blog and unfortunately I don't remember where it was, but it was a blog from a Kindergarten Teacher. She was encouraging people to prepare their kids for Kindergarten and said that Kindergarten is no longer what it use to be. By the end of Kindergarten kids are now expected to read simple words. What can you do to make sure your kids are ready?

1. ABC's Make sure they know their letter names both capital and lower case as well as their sounds. If they have that down start blending small words where you can hear all the letter sounds ect. cat, mat, bit, sit. Talk about rhyming sounds and what happens when you change the first letter if you feel they are ready.

2. Numbers- count everywhere. My 2 year old can now almost count to 5 forward and backwards. (Hummm I wonder why the naughty 2 year old can count) We count in the car, we count bears, we count how many marshmallows they got for a snack, how many orange or apple slices, how many stairs in a building..... count, count, count. The should be able to count to at least 10 but it would be even better if they could get to 20 on their own. Talk about impressive. They should also recognize  their numbers as well.

3. Colors - They need to know their colors. The over achievers also recognize the color names when they are written. 

4. Shapes - The should know their basic shapes. The orange one is a rhombus not a diamond but you can teach them all of it's names. 

5. Read- Make sure you are reading to your kids daily. Get them use to sitting and listening. Ask them questions about the book when you are through. Ask them about their favorite part, who are the characters (you will need to explain what characters are the first couple of times then just expect them to know just like you would with any other big word), have them retell the story to a friend or grandparent. 

6. Listening- Listening skills are so important for kids going into Kindergarten. Make it a game to practice. List off 3-5 things that they need to go touch, grab, move ect and watch them go. 

Remember kids learn better when it's a game. If you choose to do flashcards make it a game. Have them race with a parent or other sibling to see who can get the right answer first. Make learning FUN!!!!!!!!