Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
Discover the joy of reading with Book Clubs and Book Fairs
New friends, new skills, and all-day fun: There’s a lot to look forward to in kindergarten! And there’s lots to do to get ready for the first day.
Your child may be anxious about leaving home and making friends — that’s OK! Nervousness is natural. To ease first-day jitters, you can read books with your child that encourage social-emotional skills, so they can put their best foot forward when meeting new people.
When the day arrives, students will be expected to know some basic skills, like how to hold a pencil and write their first name. Other skills, like writing simple sentences using sight words, will take time.
General goals for the year focus on children building strong pre-reading skills, practicing letter formation, enhancing their listening and communication skills, getting an introduction to basic math concepts, and acquiring an active interest in the world.
We asked kindergarten teacher Brian Smith from North Carolina for his thoughts on the top skills parents can help their future students practice at home. Here are 20 skills to consider as your family gets ready for kindergarten.
1. Identify some letters of the alphabet.
The First Learning Puzzles: Alphabet are a wonderful primer for learning the ABCs in a fun and easy-to-understand way.
2. Grip a pencil, crayon, or marker correctly.
Smith recommends the “Pinch and Flip” method:
“Lay the pencil flat in front of the child with the lead pointing at the child,” he says. “Have the child pinch the pencil like they would pinch somebody else and flip the pencil back toward the child with the eraser going over the hand. Then rest it on the middle finger.”
3. Write their first name using upper- and lowercase letters, if possible.
Smith says that writing names is good practice for learning letter cases.
“Parents should make it very clear that uppercase letters are for the first letter of a name and lowercase letters are for the rest of the letters in a name,” he says.
For practice, the Scholastic Early Learners: Write and Wipe Learn to Write is a convenient tool: After your child traces the letters, wipe the book clean to start again!
4. Learn sounds corresponding to vowels and consonants.
A foundation in phonics begins when you’re tracking words with your finger as you read aloud to your child. For brushing up on phonics, these fun phonics book packs are great tools for use before school starts or as a supplement to classroom learning.
5. Recognize some common sight words, like “said” and “do.”
Sight words are high-frequency words — among the most common in the English language — that do not follow the general rules of spelling and syllables, making them difficult for students to decode. Enter Sight Words Bingo, which can help kids get a head start on memorizing these words for improved reading fluency.
6. Be able to recognize names of colors and parts of the body.
Kids get a dual lesson with Colors & Shapes Bingo — and a head start in math.
7. Recognize and produce rhyming words.
Books that feature rhyming and repetition are a boon for your child’s phonological development — the pairing of sounds with spoken words and, later, spelling.
8. Repeat full name and birthday.
Make learning their name and birthday more fun with books like Your Name is a Song and How to Party Like a Snail.
9. Recite the days of the week and months of the year.
The concept of time can be a little tricky, but you can make it easier to grasp with Scholastic Early Learners: Write and Wipe Counting, early math concept workbooks, and fun books focused on numbers.
10. Classify objects according to their size, shape, and quantity.
Classification skills are the building blocks of important math concepts. With Sorting Snacks Mini Fridge, children practice and hone these skills by sorting, matching, and grouping objects.
11. Count to 10.
There are plenty of books that teach the basics, but the Fun to Know Puzzles: Numbers 1-20 helps learners identify numerals, understand number values, and practice counting using engaging photos to help little ones understand numbers and counting in real-life contexts.
12. Listen attentively without interrupting and raise hand to speak.
It can be challenging for little kids to learn patience, especially during conversations. La patience de M. Paresseux is a fun way to explain the concept of patience, and why these manners matter in and outside the classroom.
13. Follow multi-step directions.
Following directions is a comprehension skill, which your child can build at their own pace with workbooks like Scholastic Early Learners: Wipe Clean Workbook: Pre-Kindergarten
14. Work together with a friend or in small groups on a team project.
Sharing is caring. Look no further than best-selling animal friends Peppa Pig and Bluey to teach this important lesson.
15. Use scissors, glue, paint, and other art materials with relative ease.
Klutz activity kits are a fantastic way to bring learning to life with crafts and experiment with assembling objects.
16. Manage bathroom needs.
Help your child build good hygiene with Pete the Kitty. Beginning readers will love learning how to wash their hands with Pete, making the process fun and easy to understand for little kids, while also building reading skills.
17. Get dressed.
Kindergarten is a great time for weaning off assistance in everyday routines that kids can perform themselves. Exhibit A: Zipping up a jacket.
18. Clean up after self.
Not Me is a great way to teach your child the importance of cleaning up one’s messes, both at home and wherever they go.
19. Separate from parents easily.
Help soothe nerves with the Get Ready for Kindergarten 5-pack, which includes five encouraging stories to excite little learners for their first day.
20. Know how to interact with a book.
Reading books aloud at home not only starts their reading journey, but also prepares them for the classroom. “It’s really helpful if students know how to hold a book and turn a page,” Smith says.
Shop books to get ready for kindergarten below! You can find all books and activities at Scholastic Book Clubs.
Originally published by Scholastic Parents on February 15, 2024. Versioned for Scholastic Canada.
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