How to Get Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

The first day of kindergarten is a major milestone in a child's (and parent's) life. Even if your child has been to preschool, there's something about sending him to school with the "big kids" for the first time that is both exciting and scary. Many children make this transition with minimal fuss, but parents are often left wondering what they can do to help their child's new routine to go as smoothly as possible. To get your child ready for kindergarten, practice these simple tips on a daily basis. Not only are they great activities to hone kindergarten readiness, they will encourage learning and a positive relationship with you, which are wonderful benefits in and of themselves.

Read Together
Good reading skills and habits are one of the biggest indicators of a child's future success in school and with learning in general. Children who are read to consistently usually end up becoming readers themselves and do better in the classroom. Going to kindergarten will mean daily stories for your child, and if this is already a cherished practice at home, your child will have something familiar to connect with and look upon kindergarten as a positive experience. Not only does reading introduce children to words and language, it's a wonderful time for parents and children to bond and explore together. Picture books tell wonderful, creative stories that fuel children's imaginations, and the illustrations are beautiful to look at as well as encourage an appreciation for visual art. Reading together on a daily basis not will prepare your child for kindergarten and the years beyond.

Have Daily Conversations
Parents constantly talk to their children, telling them what to do, what to eat, what to wear, etc., but rarely talk with their children. Taking time each day to really get on your child's level and have a back-and-forth conversation, no matter how mundane or silly the topic, will help your child's verbal expression and interaction with others. Knowing how to interact with other adults and express thoughts feelings is hugely beneficial in a classroom setting. When a teacher has an average of twenty students to attend to, it's not always easy to assess everyone's needs on a given day. But a child who knows how to speak to an adult, give and receive feedback, and can articulate wants and needs in an acceptable manner is much more likely to be recognized and have what he needs for learning. This frees up the teacher's time as well, so she can get past trying to interpret what your child needs and get right into teaching, which means more time learning for your child.

Include Your Child in Daily Tasks
Children are amazing sponges of information; their daily tasks and interactions with others teach them about the world everyday. And when you include your child in daily tasks such as grocery shopping, washing dishes, folding laundry, cooking, and more, you're teaching her about the world around her and what people need to do each day. When a child is aware of tasks that need to be done in daily life, as well as fun and out-of-the-ordinary events, he has a broader knowledge base against which to weigh new information. This makes learning much richer and will make the kindergarten experience even better, since the basic building blocks of daily skills have already been taught.

Give Your Child Responsibility
When children are in kindergarten, they are now part of a group and expected to do certain tasks independently, like clean up after a project or playtime. If your child enters kindergarten already able to perform small acts of responsibility, he will have a much easier time adjusting to a classroom setting. It's easy as parents to do all of the "dirty work" for our children, like cleaning up after them or taking care of all of the household duties. But holding children responsible for small tasks like picking up their toys, setting the table for dinner, helping you sort the laundry, or even feeding a pet will not only give them a sense of pride and accomplishment, it will help them have a smooth transition as they get ready for kindergarten. This is why most teachers have classroom "jobs," and if your child already does small things at home, he'll have no trouble accepting responsibility at school.

Make Learning an Everyday Activity
Overall, when you simply incorporate learning into your everyday life, kids get used to that environment and treat school like the next natural step in the growing process instead of something to be feared or that is difficult. Dialoging with your child about the basics provides a strong foundation from which to grow. For example, when in the grocery store, encourage your child to help you shop: "Can you find the peppers? (Object Recognition) Which ones are red? (Colors) We need three of them. Can you count while I pick them? (Numbers)" Making learning a natural part of daily life is the best thing you can do not only for your child's kindergarten readiness, but for his overall quality of life.