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Kindergarten Parents: How to Reinforce Learning at Home
Special to The Truth
Kindergarten is an
exciting time for children, but it can also be stressful --
not just for little ones, but for parents, too. Although
each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace,
most educators and experts agree that four key areas of
development are essential for further growth and achievement
in school.
To help your child
throughout the kindergarten year, here are a few ways to
support these key areas of development at home:
• Vocabulary and Oral
Language Development: Encourage your child to communicate
through words. Have your child tell you a story, asking
questions that invite description. For example, if your
child says a dog was chasing a stick, ask what color was the
dog? Did he run fast or slowly? Was the stick big or small?
In public, give your child opportunities to speak for him or
herself or make requests. If he or she is asked what they
want to eat and drink at a restaurant, let your child reply,
even if you know the answer.
• Social-Emotional Skills:
Children will use social-emotional skills every day once in
kindergarten, whether they’re asking a teacher for help,
being polite to classmates or following instructions.
Scheduling a fun, unstructured play date is a great way to
let children interact with peers, helping them learn to
share and express themselves through play.
• Small Motor Control:
Developing small motor skills can be as easy as coloring
with your child and cutting with scissors -- anything that
gets those fingers and toes moving! Other great activities
include putting puzzles together, building with blocks,
throwing, catching and kicking a ball, riding a tricycle as
well as activities like running, jumping and climbing.
• Attention to Sensory and
Visual Detail: Paying attention to one’s senses is a mindful
practice that can help prepare children for the academic
world of kindergarten. Noticing textures, smells and tastes,
and using language to describe these details, fosters
vocabulary development and encourages children to compare
and contrast their experiences. At snack time, ask your
child to describe the food with words like sweet or sour,
crunchy or juicy, rough or smooth. When playing with
puzzles, ask your child to sort the puzzle pieces and then
describe what colors, patterns, edges, or other visual
details the pieces share.
Parents may find certain
tools useful towards helping children learn core school and
life skills. For example, LeapFrog’s LeapStart Learning
System gets kids excited about counting, learning to read,
problem solving and more with fun, re-playable activities.
An ergonomic stylus reads invisible dots on every page,
triggering questions, challenges, songs, jokes and more.
Engaging new content featuring popular children’s characters
and the availability of LeapFrog’s acclaimed Learn to Read
series give children the tools they need to build tomorrow’s
skills today.
Try not to compare your
child’s mastery of letters, sounds and numbers to
classmates. Children will be learning at their own
comfortable pace. The teacher is practicing these skills
with your child, and you can help by continuing to reinforce
them at home.
Courtesy StatePoint
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