Starting preschool is a significant milestone for both kids and their parents. This transition marks the beginning of a new chapter and is one of many first steps towards bigger adventures, vast learning experiences, and preparation for the academic years. As a parent, you play an essential role in your child’s school readiness. There are many things you can do to help your little one prepare as they embark on this exciting new journey.
It’s never too early to start preparing your child for school! Even from as early as infancy, there are steps parents can take to help their little ones develop the skills they’ll need for kindergarten.
Help your child develop self-regulation skills. Young kids tend to have shorter attention spans. Because the ability to pay attention and concentrate is critical to children’s success in school and beyond, parents can help their kids develop self-regulation skills from an early age.
At home, you can play games that teach kids how to follow directions and pay attention. For example, try using different color codes to represent specific commands in the game. When you say red, kids touch their heads. If the color is green, they touch their knees.
Expose your child to a variety of different playing materials. Encourage your little one to build with different items like blocks and to have fun with different art supplies like crayons, paints, markers, and glitter glue. Give kids plenty of opportunities to create things from scratch and exercise their creative freedom to build anything they can think of. Expose children to a wide variety of reading materials and supplies they can use to scribble and draw. Doing so will help kids develop the early skills they’ll need for reading, writing, and math!
Ask questions during everyday activities that promote language development. Developing oral language skills is a vital part of every child’s readiness for school. You can promote language development with your little one by engaging in conversations together and asking questions so your child can practice speaking.
For example, when you’re in the car together, point out the people, buildings, and other things you see on the street and ask your child, “What’s that?” Encourage children to talk about the world around them. Ask your little one about his or her day at school, such as what they did in class or who helped him or her with a project. Ask questions and engage in fun conversations. More importantly, be sure to pay attention, listen, and respond appropriately.
Make reading together a part of your daily routine. Reading is another fundamental skill that kids need to develop succeed both academically and socially. Not only does reading expand your child’s vocabulary, but it can also improve attention span and concentration. The more practice your child has with reading words printed in various fonts and colors, the more prepared they will be for kindergarten. Learning literacy skills, like phonics and decoding unfamiliar words, will be easier. Make it a habit to read with your little one every day for at least 30 minutes. Start with board books, picture books, and any other age-appropriate reading materials.
Make learning fun. The best way to help your child enjoy learning is to foster a lifelong love for education and learning at home. There are plenty of ways you can incorporate fun and excitement into your learning activities.
For example, you can incorporate games into your activities with your little one. When introducing the alphabet, instead of using a traditional workbook to practice identifying and writing letters, explore other approaches like using colored pens and crayons, or you can have them practice writing letters in the sandbox.
Provide your child with adequate time for play. Transitioning to preschool doesn’t mean we need to eliminate playtime from our children’s routine. In fact, it is through play that young kids learn and develop several fundamental skills they will need in school.
Be sure to strike a balance between learning and playing. Give your little one adequate opportunities for independent play. Consider joining in during playtime too, whenever possible.
Helping your child transition to school can be a daunting task. It isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s a gradual process that starts as early as infancy and continues throughout the toddler years and beyond. However, your early efforts can mean a world of difference when it comes to your child’s success during the first few years of school. So, help your little one get off on the right foot and boost your child’s school readiness with these handy tips!
Are you looking for the best preschool for your little one? Snapdragon Preschool may be the right choice. Explore our website to learn more or book a tour to visit our center.