Are you sending your child off to kindergarten this fall? Kindergarten is a big change from what many kids are used to. Beyond just numbers and colors, children need to utilize self-regulation and social & emotional skills to work cooperatively with their classmates. While preschool is an excellent way to prepare young children for the demands of kindergarten, our teachers have compiled a great list of summer activities you can try over the next few months to promote kindergarten readiness.
Following Directions
One of the most important skills your child will need to use is the ability to follow directions. It’s a crucial skill that some 5-year olds may not have mastered yet. Help your children hone this important skill by creating fun games that ask them to follow simple directions. Typical games like “Red Light, Green Light,” “Simon Says,” and “Follow the Leader” are incredible ways to teach kids how to follow directions with both sight and sound. Backyard obstacle courses are something children LOVE, and they combine gross motor learning with language skills for multisensory learning! To target listening skills and direction following, have a part of the obstacle course that can be manipulated differently, depending on what you’d like your child to work on. For instance, if one of the components of the obstacle course is a table, you instruct your child to go under the table the first time through, and over or around it, the following time through.
Dress for the Weather
At the ripe old age of 5, children will all have different ranges of abilities when it comes to choosing clothes and dressing on their own. When it comes time for kindergarten, it is important that your child knows how to put on and take off any clothes needed for school, including jackets, shoes, buckles, zippers, and socks. Summer is a great time to practice since you will not be as rushed as you will during the school year. Help you child master the task of dressing on their own when you can take the time and get it right in a relaxed manner.
ABC’s and 123’s
Flash cards and pen-and-paper letter learning are boring and usually uninteresting to young children. Try these fun outdoor activities to practice the alphabet and counting instead:
ABC Scavenger Hunt at the Park– Look for objects at your local park that start with each letter of the alphabet. For instance, ball for the letter B, leaf for the letter L, swing for the letter S, etc.
Alphabet Letter Splash – Do you know a child who doesn’t enjoy using a water squirter to hit a target? We sure don’t! Use sidewalk chalk to write letters of the alphabet on your sidewalk, fence, or patio. You can ask them to squirt certain letters or even soak the letters of their name.
Counting Items in Nature – Does your child love the outdoors? Use outside play time as a learning tool by creating a counting scavenger hunt for your little one. Write down a list of things in nature you will see, whether it will be in your backyard or your favorite hiking path. Include things like tress, flowers, spider webs, birds, rocks, creeks, nests, etc. Once you’ve written the list, grab something to write with and a clip board and head outside. Have your child look for the first item on the list. Count how many of those items you see. Don’t forget to take your time and look around. While counting objects on your list, you may get super lucky and spot something truly amazing, like a hummingbird, tree sap, or fun animal friends.
There is no better way to prepare for kindergarten then with a few years of preschool. The preschool program at KRK is an amazing opportunity to promote kindergarten readiness and get children used to structured learning and working cooperatively. Give us a call today to find out how to enroll your child in this award winning program.