Research in recent years has highlighted the importance of early ‘education’ and we all want the best for the children we care about.
Many parents and teachers do not start thinking about preparing for the transition to kindergarten until a month or two just before kindergarten begins, because they may not be aware that successful transition to kindergarten is a process that begins way before.
Whether your child is in preschool, daycare or at home, the transition from early education programs to kindergarten can be a stressful time for both parents and child.
Starting Early
Starting early to prepare for kindergarten does not mean learning kindergarten skills in preschool. It involves making sure children have “early literacy “skills.
What are early literacy skills?
Skills Required Before Starting School
They are skills that children need to have acquired before they start school.
Skills such as
- Being able to retell a simple story and being able to recognise the letters in their name
- Tracing the shapes of letters and numbers on paper
- Following simple instructions
- Recognising the title of a book
- Matching rhyming sounds e.g cat and bat
Get Set For Success
All of these skills are important for future school success.
Together they form a foundation of strong pre-reading and pre-writing skills. If they have these skills they are more likely to be confident in their ability to learn.
The years before kindergarten are the time to learn these important skills,
Introducing Early Literacy
It is important for you to gradually expose children to these types of experiences during the years before kindergarten so your child will become familiar with them.
Examples
Joining a play group, attending story hour at the local library, and encouraging interaction with new friends are great ways to introduce your child to new social experiences, which will help them do better in school both academically and socially.
An additional benefit of preparing early for kindergarten is learning more about what activities excite and frustrate your child. This is valuable information to share with kindergarten teachers; the more a kindergarten teacher knows about a child in the beginning of the year, the better it will be for the child as the year moves forward.
Getting ready for kindergarten is a process that starts long before kindergarten begins. By starting early and learning new skills along the way, your child will have a strong start to the exciting year of learning that lies ahead.
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