This post may contain affiliate links.
Kindergarten was my absolute favorite grade to teach. As little ones prepare to head to school there are things parents can do to help make the transition easier and prepare their child. As a former Kindergarten teacher, I put together this list of 10 things to do to prepare your child for kindergarten!
Oh, and you will definitely want to check out Ready. Set, Kindergarten! This course is designed to prepare you (and your child) for Kindergarten! You will have access to developmental checklists, helpful videos and TONS of printable activities, crafts and games!
10 Things to prepare for Kindergarten
1. Work on your child’s name.
Your child’s name is one of the first words they will read and write! One of the easiest ways to work on your child’s name is by creating a name puzzle. Just write their name on an index card and cut it apart. Let them put the pieces together!
Name crafts are also fun too! This ice cream cone name craft is one of my favorites! It’s available inside of Ready, Set, Kindergarten.
2. Read a book.
If you aren’t already, get in the habit of reading everyday. Read to your child, let them read to you (even if it’s just them telling you about the pictures) and make reading a fun time together! HERE is an post with some read aloud tips. Developing these listening and comprehension skills is huge!
3. Use school supplies (like scissors and glue) to work on fine motor skills.
No doubt your child will be using a lot of new and fun school supplies in Kindergarten! ’m pretty sure every Kindergarten teacher can tell you a story about a child cutting their hair or clothes! Really, it happens every year! Many times little ones haven’t had a chance to play with scissors, so when you give them scissors for the first time. What do they do with them? They PLAY! Spend some time using these supplies with your child! One great idea is to put together a cutting box. You can read all about that HERE.
Liquid glue is also a great thing to practice and it also works on fine motor skills too!
4. Count.
There are opportunities for counting all day long! How many seconds does it take the garage door to go down? Can you count how many marshmallows are in your cereal? How many people do we see on our walk? Can you count how many red cars do we see driving to Target? Model counting and challenge your child to count specific objects!
This Counting Around the House activity is one of my favorites! It is one of the many math activities included inside of Ready, Set, Kindergarten!
5. Develop routines at home.
Have you ever had one of those days where you forget to set your alarm so you over sleep and then the rest of the day you re out of whack and playing catch up? That’s the worst! Don’t do that to your child! Set up solid routines that will make for smoother days…and nights! Could you pick out clothes for school the night before? Pack lunches ahead of time? Keep backpacks in one spot so everyone isn’t trying to find what they need when it’s time to go? Really think through what needs to happen everyday!
A night time routine is just as important. Please make sure that your child is getting enough sleep. I can’t stress this one enough! Your child is going to be exhausted after school. Even if they are use to going to school everyday, this is going to be new for them and a long day. Talk to your pediatrician about how much sleep your child should be getting each night. Don’t forget to build some down time into their day too! Routines are going to set your child up for success.
6. Practice following simple directions.
It’s no secret that your child isn’t going to be the only one in the class. The teacher will be giving multiple directions all day, everyday and your child will be need to listen and follow them.
Pick up your pencil. Write your name on the paper. Color the paper. When you finish, put it in the yellow bucket. Go the the computer station.
Play simple games like Simon Says and help your child to get in the habit of listening to and following directions.
7. Teach your child to take care of their basic needs.
Kindergarten teachers are some of the most kind people on the planet. I promise, you don’t teach Kindergarten unless you really love it. I am part of a few parent groups on Facebook and every year I will see posts like this:
“My son is in Kindergarten and his teacher won’t tie his shoe after December. I think this is just horrible and what should I do?”
The comments on this type of posts are always entertaining. I totally understand the parents concern, but you also have to look at the teacher’s job too. She probably has 18-22 little darlings in her care and that’s a LOT of shoes to tie multiple times a day everyday. Not to mention that shoelaces are filthy and wet from Lord knows what! Start to work on shoe tying or find some shoes that your child can handle independently. This is a great book to practice with!
Some other basic needs to think about:
- Opening food items and containers
- Dressing and Undressing
- Using the bathroom
- Hand washing
- Blowing nose
I know that a lot of children around this age still need some help with wiping, but your child’s Kindergarten teacher just isn’t the man for the job. Bottom line, it opens up teachers to all sorts of terrible liability issues. Use this time to work with your child on these skills! Also, think about labeling your child’s possessions! These labels are my favorite and will help things be more likely to get returned to you!
8. Practice doing something independently.
There will definitely be times when your child needs to work on something independently at their seat. I have created a few free printables for you to use with your child at home that focus on kindergarten readiness skills. These activities are focused on counting, the alphabet, shapes, cutting, gluing, coloring and tracing. ALL of these skills will be used in Kindergarten…and beyond! Just click HERE to download the file instantly! These activities are great for practice for independent work.
9. Notice letters.
Just knowing the names of letters is going to give your child a huge advantage. Start with the letters in your child’s name! Look for those letters in books, magazine and even on license plates!
I also absolutely love this movie! It does such a great job of teaching letters and sounds in a fun way. At the time of this post, it’s also free on Netflix!
10. Notice numbers.
Just like knowing letters, identifying numbers is going to give your child a huge advantage. Start with numbers 0-10 and look for those numbers in books, magazine and even on license plates! This is a great video for numbers!
Looking for more things to prepare for Kindergarten?
If you do these ten things to prepare for kindergarten, your child will be off to a great start! If you are looking for more ideas and activities to please be sure to check out my course, Ready, Set, Kindergarten! It covers six developmental areas of Kindergarten readiness and contains over 75 printable activities! Send me an email or a message on Instagram with any questions that you have!