Here are a few things you can do this summer to get your child ready for the first day of kindergarten.
Read to your child every day. Read by yourself to set a good example.
Read aloud signs like "No Parking" and "Exit" and talk about what the signs mean.
Sing songs & say nursery rhymes together.
Go to mass on Sunday. Pray together before meals and bedtime.
Play with alphabet letters, and help your child to identify letter names and words that begin with the sound the letter makes.
Make a simple recipe together. Count and measure ingredients. Note how long it takes to complete your creation.
Use a calendar to plan special events. Count the days until an event happens.
Practice saying your phone number and address together.
Count forward and backward with your child. For example, "Three, two, one, let’s go!"
Find things to count with your child, such as...
How many bites does it takes to eat a banana?
How many things at home are shaped like a circle? a square? a triangle?
How many shoes or books are in your home?
How many steps does it takes to cross a room?
How many steps does it take to climb up stairs?
Make hand washing and tooth brushing a regular part of your family’s routine.
Practice fastening clothes and shoes with snaps, buttons, zippers, and laces.
Visit parks, playgrounds & swimming pools.
Sing songs together. Try humming or clapping to the music as well. Make up songs with your child. Take turns singing verses.
Experiment with Play Dough, crayons, paints, paper and scissors to develop small muscles in the fingers and eye-hand coordination.
Pick a place to display "masterpiece" creations at home. Ask your child to tell you all about his or her artistic creations.
