Kindergarten has my heart. Entering \u201cbig\u201d school is a momentous transition. Some of my favorite teaching years were at this lovable, messy, talkative (and exhausting) level. As a parent, though, the buildup to sending your child out into the wide world of formal schooling can spark significant anxiety. I\u2019ve sent three of my own kids to kindergarten and soon will send a fourth, yet I still mentally replay that loaded question each time: \u201cAre they ready?\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what my teacher-self tells my parent-self to quiet those nerves: First, kids enter kindergarten in various developmental places, and it\u2019s a teacher\u2019s job to meet them where they are. More importantly, \u201cready\u201d for kindergarten doesn\u2019t mean knowing everything on a kindergarten skills checklist. It means being ready to learn them when they are taught \u2014 along with all the other wonderful things that can\u2019t be distilled into bullet points. If families focus on creating a solid foundation for teachers to build on, we set our kids up for the joyful transition they deserve.<\/p>\n
Here are four doable, productive ways to channel that getting-ready-for-kindergarten energy if you\u2019ve got it \u2014 and four things you can give yourself permission not to worry about.<\/p>\n
1. Instead of worrying about school behaviors, focus on building independence and social skills.<\/strong><\/p>\n Your child doesn\u2019t need to learn to raise their hand or walk in a line at home because they\u2019ll learn that stuff alongside their classmates when they get to school. But, it\u2019s wise to teach them a few things that will help them function in a group without as much adult availability. For instance, you could help your kiddo practice:<\/p>\n 2. Instead of worrying about how high your child can count or whether they know any math facts, focus on having informal math \u201cconversations.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Today\u2019s math standards ask kids to talk about their math thinking; this is more than just memorizing counting sequences or facts. If you build up kids\u2019 \u201cmath talking muscles,\u201d teachers can expand on these habits at school. For instance:<\/p>\n 3. Instead of \u201cquizzing\u201d kids on letters and high-frequency words, focus on enjoyable exposure (even if you\u2019re the one doing the work).<\/strong><\/p>\n Pre-kindergarten is a fantastic time to give kids a peek at the incredible world of reading and writing \u2014 it gets kids eager to join the literacy club and primes them to soak up formal school instruction. Resist the urge to \u201ctest\u201d your kids or ask them to show off their letter and word knowledge as a prep method. Instead, aim for low-key modeling. For instance:<\/p>\n 4. Instead of worrying about teaching specific facts, build kids\u2019 knowledge about the world in ways that interest them.<\/strong><\/p>\n Background knowledge and the language acquisition that comes with it are crucial for school success. It helps with reading comprehension, science and social studies content learning, and even kids\u2019 capacity to empathize with others. The more kids know about the world, the more connection points they have available for school learning. Easy ways to build kids\u2019 background knowledge include:<\/p>\n Getting ready for kindergarten doesn\u2019t have to be about checking skills off a list. Reframing our thinking to focus on foundation-building is less stressful for adults and kids alike.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here are four doable, productive ways to help your child prepare for kindergarten \u2014 and four things you can give yourself permission not to worry about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":82535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[116,292],"coauthors":[1053],"class_list":["post-82533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-advice","tag-parenting","tag-kindergarten","ages_stages-pre-k"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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