There are so many milestones in a child’s life, but the first day of kindergarten is one of the biggies. Like any good parent, you want to help your kindergartener to make sure they are well prepared.
“Kindergarten is the first year that children are given that larger opportunity to be independent, especially in full-day programs,” says Michaela Schuzer, a kindergarten teacher in Tennessee. “The beginning of kindergarten focuses on letters and letter sounds, but also on concepts like sharing and how to behave in a school,” she adds.
A February 2024 study in JAMA Pediatrics reveals an association between the COVID-19 pandemic and kindergarten readiness which kids are still recovering from today. Kindergarten teacher Paula Johnson weighs in.
“Many, but not all young students were lacking in readiness skills due to not attending a preschool program from March of 2020 and beyond,” she says. “Some may have been academically prepared, but many of them were not ready socially or emotionally and lacked self-care skills,” she says.
Encouraging independence by giving your child the basic tools to succeed is key.
“Basic life skills are often those we don’t always think we need to teach someone because it’s so second nature to us,” explains Schuzer. “Supporting your child’s learning journey at home will take them far.”
Schuzer and Johnson suggest applying these practices at home prior to starting kindergarten and throughout the kindergarten year:
Help Your Kindergartener Experience Success
Self-Help Skills
“Five and 6-year-olds are extremely capable of basic personal care skills necessary for school,” says Johnson. “When parents do not allow for time to build these skills, their child is already at a disadvantage compared to their [prepared] peers,” she adds.
When your child enters kindergarten, they should know how to blow their nose, how to button their pants, how to right-side out jackets, how to open their snacks.
“Shoe tying is developmental and may not happen until later in the school year,” says Johnson. Until then, select shoes that your child can put on independently.
Use Teaching Moments at Home
“Any activity at home can be turned into something that will help your child,” says Schuzer. She suggests dinner time prep as the perfect time for this.
“You can ask about the colors of the food you are preparing, what letter the color words start with and the sounds they make,” she suggests.
Playing age-appropriate games at home also offers teaching moments including turn-taking, winning and losing gracefully, problem solving and strategic thinking. Consider the board game “Sequence” (for kids) or the card game “Uno.”
A note of caution: Kids don’t like to be non-stop prompted and grilled. Be creative and employ a light-handed touch when working with your child so they don’t shut down.
Enjoy & Encourage Reading
Enjoy & Encourage ReadingIt is important to incorporate reading as part of your child’s nighttime routine.
“Reading aloud is so beneficial for kindergarteners, especially as they identify new letters and sounds each week,” says Schuzer.
Johnson adds that parents should also be caught reading. “Young children need to see adults reading books, magazines or newspapers versus seeing them scrolling on devices (even if you are technically reading).”
Brush Up Social Skills
With devices all around, social skills are are more vital for kids than ever. Give your child plenty of opportunities to speak to adults (other than family) when ordering at a restaurant or getting a new library card. Avoid jumping in and speaking for your child. Talk about respectfulness for other’s belongings and how to include other children in play who might be less adept at joining in. Offer plenty of encouragement when your kids take social strides!
Being Responsible for You
“Children are capable of following rules and routines at school so it shouldn’t be different at home,” says Johnson.
So don’t empty your child’s backpack. Teach your child to remove papers from their folder and place them in the same drop spot every day. It is also their responsibility to make sure everything is in their backpacks before they leave in the morning.
“My least favorite statement from students is that my mom forgot to put it in my backpack,” says Johnson. Keep it positive and can-do at home as you work to transfer what you used to do to what they need to be doing now.
Teach Your Child to Self Calm
Self-calming is a skill everyone needs, but especially in a room of 20 children. By the of age 5, children are capable of not having a tantrum when they are frustrated.
“Big feelings are OK, but not if that transfers to hurting or impeding others from learning,” says Johnson.
Schuzer offers a feelings chart that her students complete each morning.
“Students start the day by moving their assigned number to the color that matches their mood,” she says.
Schuzer also offers coping buckets based on mood color that contain snacks, stuffed animals and fidget toys. “Throughout the day, a student can hang out by the Feelings Chart for five minutes before returning to work. We all need a break sometimes and this area offers just that!
