Kindergarten Readiness "Tips of the Week" May 2, 2012

Bethel Public Schools has created a website chock full of kindergarten readiness information and activities. It can be easily accessed by logging on to:

http://www.bethel.k12.ct.us/subsite/dist/page/kindergarten-readiness-200

Information is in English and Spanish

Studies have shown that when young children are provided an environment rich in language and literacy interactions and full of opportunities to listen to and use language constantly, enter kindergarten prepared and ready to learn.

http://www2.ed.gov/parents/earlychild/ready/preschool/part.html)

According to research, children's literacy development begins long before children start formal instruction in elementary school (Snow, Burns, &Griffin, 1999 pg 8). Therefore it is important for parents to have early access to information on activities that they can do at home to build knowledge and skills through engaging learning activities. Activities should be “designed to stimulate verbal interaction; to enrich children’s vocabulary; to encourage talk about books; to provide practice with the sound structure of words; to develop knowledge about print, to include the production and the recognition of letters.” (Snow pg. 9)

Lynn Fielding states in his book Delivering on the Promise that data suggests about “40% of students enter kindergarten with language and math skills typical of two, three, and four year olds, They are already two to three years behind ‘average’ kindergarten children on the first day of school.”

“Children who enter school with language skills and pre-reading skills (ex. understanding that print reads from left to right and top to bottom) are more likely to learn to read well in the early grades and succeed in later years. In fact, research shows that most reading problems faced by adolescents and adults are the result of problems that could have been prevented through good instruction in their early childhood years (Snow, Burns and Griffin 1998).

Below is a selection of activities from the Literacy Page. Try these at home with your child:

Activities for reading aloud:

Talk with your child about the story

• As you are reading, stop and discuss the story with your child

  • What do you think is happening?

  • What might happen next?

  • Why do you think that is going to happen?

• Explain words they may not know to build their vocabulary knowledge and have them explain it to you.

• Have your child tell about his/her favorite part and why they like it

• Encourage your child to retell the story or tell you a few things that happened in the book.

• Have your child draw and color a sequenced set of pictures about the story – beginning, middle and end

• Have your child draw a picture and make up what they think will happen next AFTER you finished the book

• Encourage your child to ask questions about the text. I wonder why…

Read and point out environmental print to your child

• Read signs on buildings, food cartons, magazines and mail

• Read menus, road signs and symbols

Read books that help teach

• Read nursery rhymes and poetry books to teach rhyming

Have your child help with:

• Cooking- they can help you read the recipes and measure ingredients

• Making grocery lists- This is a great way to plan out what you need, think about how you can remember everything (making a list) and following through (shopping)

• Incorporate these activities in play!

Have a friend or relative send your child small notes or stickers in the mail-children love to receive and send letters. Have them send letters, picture or a story to a friend or relative telling them about something exciting that they did!

Incorporate your child’s description in pictures by having them describe a picture they drew and writing what they say underneath the picture.

Go to the library

• Choose books that interest your child.

• Have books on tape for car rides

Activities for Print Awareness

• Show your child how to hold a book

• Follow along with your finger while you read

• Talk about the title and author of a book

• Point out print everywhere you see it

• Read to your child from magazines, newspaper, big books and junk mail as a way to show that print is everywhere