The first day of school for a child is filled with excitement. Depending on the child, the emotions can run the gamut from tears to running into the classroom without a goodbye wave. Whichever way a child enters Kindergarten, the strides that the child makes academically are amazing to witness over the year.
Knowing what skill areas are important and other incidentals can make a child's introduction to school an easier one. Here are some items parents should know before the start of Kindergarten this fall.
Kindergarten Interviews
Many Kindergarten teachers will have interviews prior to the start of the year, while others may have them in September. These interviews are with parents and the child and provide the teacher one on one time with his or her new little student. This meeting gives the child a chance to meet his or her teacher to create a rapport. Many times children will feel at ease on the first day once they have met the teacher and has visited the classroom.
Some classes may have a staggered start to the school year with half of the class attending alternate days for the first weeks of school, while other schools may start with the full class right from the beginning. During this first week or even at the interview, a teacher will be administering an initial screening test. This test checks a wide array of developmental skill areas and will give a teacher a starting point to begin a child’s learning program.
Initial Kindergarten Testing
Here is a sample of the types of skills tested during the initial test.
- Can the child print his or her first and last name?
- Can the child recite his or her home phone number.
- A child should be able to recognize most 26 uppercase and lowercase letters not in alphabetical order.
- Letter Sounds: A teacher would not expect a child to know all of the sounds to be recited but have the understanding that letters make sounds.
- Recite the alphabet without singing the alphabet song.
- Printing the alphabet.
- Name colours from pictures.
- Count numbers to 10.
- Name all of the shapes from pictures: star, circle, triangle, rectangle, oval and square.
- Print numbers to 10.
- Count objects up to 10.
- Create an AB pattern. Placing together two colour blocks red, blue, red, blue, red, blue.
The skills mentioned above do not have to all be mastered upon entering Kindergarten, but some skill in each area should be noted. A child does not need to know how to print all the letters in the alphabet but should be able to produce some letters. Parents may want to check the school division as to the Kindergarten outcomes for that particular school.
Working on these skills should be at a child’s own pace and it is important to take this into consideration when working at home on skills. A child may just not be ready to work on certain skills and it is important to remember every child blossoms at his or her own time. It is also important to know that these skill areas are taught and reviewed throughout the school year and parents have time to continue reviewing at home.
Other areas to prepare the child prior to her first day of school are: using scissors properly, holding a pencil and colouring within the lines, drawing a self portrait and family members, putting on shoes independently, zippering jackets, knapsacks, opening and closing lunchbox containers.
School Visit
Make a visit with a walk through the school, showing the child his or her room, playground, office, bathrooms, water fountain, Principal’s office, and gym. A parent should also show a child where he or she will be picked up at the end of the day. All of these will make both parent and child feel more comfortable when school starts.
A child starting Kindergarten is the most exciting time for a family. Working on skills and making a school visit are wonderful ways to prepare a child for the beginning of school. Having a new teacher, new school and meeting new classmates can be difficult for a four or five year old all at once. Preparing a child with skills and a school visit will build a child's confidence and self esteem for the start of the school year.
If this article was helpful check out How to Teach Children the Alphabet or Starting Grade One in the Fall.
 |
