Scientists measured academic grades, school connection, anxiety sensitivity, substance use, physical activity, and height and weight. But when you are young, the recorder is completely clean, and this is the opportunity to expose it to actions and behaviors that align with healthy habits and lifestyles. The researchers determined kindergarten math skills contributed to better high school grades and lower dropout risk.
Kindergarten classroom engagement was a predictor of better grades, lower dropout risk, better school connection, lower risk of substance use, and more involvement in physical activity.
Kindergarten classroom engagement was also associated with a 65 percent reduction in the odds of a child being overweight by age Promoting kindergarten readiness could reduce the health burden generated by high school dropout. Klein praised Scandinavian countries that emphasize play and engaging with their environment in their own way, which she says builds a base of confidence and teaches children to follow their curiosity.
This also encourages broader thinking, excitement about learning, and the motivation to figure out complex problems. Regardless, there are several things you CAN do which will certainly give your child a significant advantage as he prepares for the transition to kindergarten.
By the time your child is ready to start kindergarten, you've probably already spent a great deal of time reading him books. Now, it's time to start deepening his sense of written language. This involves not only reading the books to him, but helping him understand how books are conceived, composed, and created. Let him hold the book for himself, teach him the correct way to hold a book, to identify where the front is and where the back is, and how to correctly turn the pages left to right. When you read to him, follow the written text with your finger as you read it.
This will help him understand that the text and the pictures are actually different parts of the idea, and that the little symbols on the page represent the sounds and ideas that are coming out of your mouth. Once he's comfortable with this idea, take the concept a little deeper. Help him understand that the text is made of small parts words that are, themselves, made of smaller parts letters.
By exploring written language in this way, your child will develop literacy skills and phonemic awareness at a much quicker pace than if you were to simply read out loud to him.
Children's brains are wired to receive and absorb spoken language, and simply conversing with him regularly will help him develop conversational language skills.
However, by the time your child is preparing for kindergarten, you can take the process a little further. Try to avoid speaking down to him, or speaking in a baby voice--this will only encourage him to do so for much longer than is appropriate and helpful.
Talk to him about your schedule, your thoughts, and ask him what he's thinking about and experiencing. Expose him to new vocabulary words, new ideas, and new concepts as often as possible, but be mindful when he feels overwhelmed. Another helpful exercise: ask your child to perform a task, and to talk his way through the task as he performs it.
This will accomplish a number of things. It will help him develop the language skills to explain his movements and actions, it will clarify his thought process, and it will reveal to you what problem-solving strategies he's using to perform the task.
Knowing your child's individual problem-solving style will be very valuable, especially when he comes home from school needing help with an assignment. At kindergarten, your child will be expected to write with pencils, pens, crayons, and markers, and will need to cut out simple shapes with scissors on a regular basis. Many parents are too afraid to give their children scissors before they go off to kindergarten, but it really is a disservice to them if you don't give them a chance to practice.
Buy a pair of child-safe scissors the kind you find in a typical kindergarten classroom , some crayons, pens, and markers, and a pad of paper. Make sure you teach him how to hold these tools correctly! Sure, you'll likely end up with an enormous mess of paper shreds, but your child will develop crucial skills for his upcoming kindergarten transition in the process.
One of the biggest obstacles children face during their transition to kindergarten is separation anxiety. Chances are, they've never needed to spend much time away from Mom and Dad or their caregivers , and suddenly they're expected to go to school, by themselves, for hours at a time!
This anxiety can seriously impede your child's progress, if it prevents him from participating in class activities, trying new things, or interacting with his classmates. Luckily, you can smooth this transition by getting him used to being independent before his first day of kindergarten arrives. Playdates are a great way to do this. You can take him to his best friend's house and simply drop him off instead of staying nearby. Benefits of reading aloud that promote school readiness include:.
Providing your child an opportunity to play and playing with your child is important for healthy child development. Benefits of play that promote school readiness include:. Formal and informal opportunities for early childhood learning experiences in your community can promote your child's school readiness. Check out:. To help your child prepare for the transition to kindergarten, start developing a daily routine a few weeks before school starts. Have your child wake up, eat and go to bed at the same times each day.
Talk about your child's new school and listen to any concerns your child expresses. If possible, visit the school. Reading books together about starting school can also help your child know what to expect.
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This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Healthy Lifestyle Children's health. Products and services. When kids are getting ready for kindergarten, many families wonder about academic skills. But self-care and social and emotional skills are important for kindergarten readiness, too.
For example, does your child need help using the bathroom? Learn about the different kinds of skills kids are expected to have when they start kindergarten. Understand two-step directions.
Start to connect letter sounds to letters like the sound of the first letter in their name. Count from 1 to 10 without skipping numbers. Use a pencil or crayon with some control.
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