School Readiness! Starting Your Child Off Right

Sometimes parents think they should teach their child letters and numbers before they begin kindergarten, but they best way to help your child prepare for school is to help them know how to learn.

• Listen to your child. This shows them that communication is important.

• Talk to your child. Language development is a key to successful learning. When you talk to your child while you do things, describe what you are doing and answer their questions. This encourages language development.

• Ask your child questions that do not have a one- or two-word answer. (Instead of asking, “Did you have a good time?” ask “What did you like about the park? Why?”)

• Show interest in your child’s school, preschool, or child care center. There are many things that parents can do to help. Some parents volunteer in the classroom. Others help in the lunchroom or on the playground. Your child’s teacher can help you decide how you can help.

• Read to your child. Choose may different things to read, like favorite books, poems, factual books, and magazines. Reading is one of the best ways to help your child’s language development and to help them enjoy and value books. This is important to success in school. Your library is a good place to find books.

• Take your child to different places. Experiences with the world can help your child form a good base of information they can use in school. Take your child to the grocery store, the car wash, or just for a walk around your neighborhood. Talk about what you see. Describe what is happening. Point out common words on signs. Little things can be an adventure for your child, and they can learn a lot as well. Playing games like “I Spy” something green and having them guess the exact thing you “spied.”

• Limit television. Too much TV takes time away from other good activities that can help your child learn. Television does not help develop language skills. Choose programs carefully and limit watching to a maximum to one or two programs a day.

• Choose good child care. Good child care helps children be successful in school. In child care, children need to be in small groups with teachers who understand and like children. They need many different activities to choose from and may materials to use. This kind of high-quality care can help your child begin to develop needed skills like getting along with others, listening, and following directions.

• Set limits for your child and stick to them. Setting limits helps children feel secure because they know what to expect and it helps them to follow rules.

• Help your child learn to listen by using words like “up”, “down”, and “beside” when you talk to them and give them one-,two- or three-part directions to follow. (For example, “Please brush your teeth and put on your pajamas” or “Please put away your coat, wash your hands, and sit at the table so we can have lunch.”

The next article in the series will be “How do I Know if My Child is Ready?”