August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month!

It’s that time again to prepare yourself and kids for kindergarten! Kindergarten is usually the start for many children beginning their academic career and a time when children learn more cognitive lessons that prepare them for everyday life situations.  So what can you do to prepare yourself for this transition to go as smoothly as possible? Here are a few tips to prepare your kids and you for kindergarten.

Kindergarten teachers play a huge role in the start of a child’s scholastic career and they are there to help and educate your kids. The teacher will most likely provide a list on the first day of school of supplies the child will need. Make sure to write your child’s name in permanent marker on the list of supplies to help them keep up with their own supplies. For a list of tips from teachers, check out the following link:  http://www.education.com/reference/article/hints-kindergarten-teacher-parent/?page=2.

Make sure to discuss school on a regular basis so that your kids will have an idea of what to expect. Explain about teachers, learning new things and making new friends. And make sure to answer all their questions too! It is also a great idea to start working on academics at home. Make learning fun and let them know that exercising their brain is an excellent way to store and remember information. An easy way to do this is to start with making sure your child knows the alphabet, can distinguish between lowercase and uppercase letters, and can count numbers (an example would be counting how many fingers or toes they have).

Children need a lot of rest, and now is a great time to start preparing them for bed a little earlier so that their bodies can adjust to the school year, and the times they will need to be awake and ready to learn new things. It is also a great idea to take your child or children by the school so they can get familiar with the location and area. Implementing a school routine starting in August will also help children adjust better to kindergarten. Children must also be healthy and up-to-date on all their shots so it is also a great idea to set up a physical for the child.

Children are not the only ones who need to prepare for kindergarten- parents need to as well! Here is a good list of questions parents can ask themselves as they prepare for the new school year:

-Are there any forms that I need to fill out?

-What immunizations are required for school entry?

-How do you register for school?

-What are the principal and teacher’s names?

-What is the policy on lunches and snacks?

-What are the procedures from getting to and from school?

Kindergarten is a big step for kids and parents alike so make sure you are prepared!

Check out this vido on starting kindergarten: http://youtu.be/vTE4snzX-e0

Click this link for a list of what children should know upon entering kindergarten: http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_What_your_child/