school readiness packet[1] - center grove elementary … · indiana school readiness skills- birth...

School

Readiness HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR THE

BEST EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Why Is It Important?

As a parent, preparing your child for school is one of the

most important jobs you have. The first few years of school

help to build the foundation for your child and are vital in his

or her success, now, and down the road. Several studies

have been done showing the importance of a quality early

education program and its long lasting positive effects.

Preparing your child for school is a daunting task that

overwhelms many parents and families. Though it is difficult,

it is important and can be very fun and rewarding.

It is important that children are exposed to reading, writing,

coloring, numbers, following directions, sharing, and various

other skills. Your child does not need to know how to do all

of these things 100% of the time, but rather she/he needs to

have been exposed to them and have some experience with

each area. Teach your child the importance of learning from

an early age and they will become lifelong learners and

successful citizens!

Indiana School Readiness Skills- Birth thru 5

Math

• Counting/Quantity

• Computation

• Time (concept of time i.e. was it a long time or a few minutes)

• Location (where is something located i.e. behind, on top, etc.)

• Length, Capacity, Weight, Temperature

• Sorting like and different objects

Language Arts

• Awareness of Sounds

• Awareness of Symbols

• Uses print information

• Comprehends details

• Writes for purpose

• Uses writing implements

• Receptive language

• Expressive language

Social-Emotional

• Sense of self and others

• Manages emotions

• Interpersonal skills

• Responsibility

• Problem-Solving

• Approaches to learning

Physical

• Sensory integration

• Physical stability

• Gross motor skills (i.e. walking, running, skipping, etc.)

• Object control

• Precision hand skills

Personal Care

• Oral motor

• Self-feeding

• Dressing/Undressing

• Care of hands, face, and nose

• Toileting

Reading

Read to your child every day. This only takes a

few minutes and is fun for you and your child.

• The National Education Association found the

following in regards to children who were read to

frequently are more likely to:

· Count to 20 or higher

· Write their own names

· Read on their own or pretend to read

ABC’s Learning the Alphabet

Before your child can learn to read books he/she must learn the

alphabet and the sounds that each letter makes. It is important to

expose your child to letters as much as possible. The more they see

them, the more they are likely to learn them

Suggestions:

• Give them alphabet books and read them together

• Play with alphabet blocks and point out the different letters

• Sing the alphabet song with your child

• Make connections with the names of letter and the sound that it

makes

• Do not criticize them for the wrong answers, but rather correct

them in a positive way. Provide praise to your child for

attempting to answer questions and for when they get them

correct. This should be fun!

• Create artwork with your child and use different letters in the

artwork. Draw a picture of a dog and put the letter D around the

dog • Go around your house pointing out different objects and the

letter each object starts with. After your child has this down,

have him or her tell you what letter each thing starts with.

Alphabet Activities

Alphabet Collages

• Give children old magazines and rounded-tip safety scissors. Have them go through the magazines and identify objects that start with a particular letter to cut out. For instance, you may start with the letter A one day and have them cut out objects beginning with that letter. After they've gone through the entire magazine, have them take all the cutouts and glue them onto a blank sheet of paper. The following day, have them repeat the exercise with the next letter in the alphabet.

Read more: Activities to Learn the Alphabet | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5959774_activities-learn-alphabet.html#ixzz2BMs7VJJH

Alphabet Snacks

• Choose a letter each day for 26 consecutive days, starting with A and ending with Z. Tell the child what letter corresponds with each day at the start of each day. Then instruct the child to tell you what he would like as a snack later in that day. The snack, however, has to be something that starts with the letter of the day.

Alphabet Scramble

• Make or buy a set of alphabet cards. Choose three or four that make an age-appropriate word. Now tell the child what the word is without showing him the word. Scramble the cards and ask the child to put them in the right order. Help him by sounding out the word slowly as he tries to arrange the cards into the correct order.

To make this game even more fun for the child, hide all of the cards in the alphabet deck around the house. Tell the child what word you want him to make, then have him go find the letters needed to form that word.

Missing Letter

• Lay down a deck of alphabet cards in order on the floor in front of your child, but withhold several of the cards. Then let the child try to determine what letters are missing. For more advanced children, lay the cards out in a random order.

Read more: Activities to Learn the Alphabet | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5959774_activities-learn-alphabet.html#ixzz2BMsIqLV2

TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD LEARN TO

READ

1. Read books together daily (5 to 10

minutes).

2. Let your child choose the books he or she

would like to read.

3. Visit the library together to pick out books

and help choose books that revolve around

your child’s interest.

4. Ask your child questions about the story’s

characters, setting, and events.

5. Encourage your child to read.

6. When a new word is introduced in a book

that your child is unfamiliar with, give him

or her definition and help him or her to

understand the word.

7. Act out the stories with your child to

reinforce the story, and simply because it

is fun!

8. While reading with your child, demonstrate

reading left to right and top to bottom,

pointing at each word while you read.

9. Be a role model for your child and

demonstrate the joys of reading yourself.

Books by Age to Read with Your Child

Age 0-‐2

• Time for Bed-‐ by Mem Fox and Jane Dyer

• Pat the Bunny -‐by Dorothy Kunhardt

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?-‐ by Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle

• Goodnight Moon-‐ by Margaret Wise Brown

• Chicka-‐Chicka Boom-‐Boom -‐by Bill Martin and John Archambault

• Where Is Baby’s Belly Button? -‐by Karen Katz

• Baby Bathtime!-‐ by Dawn Sirett

• Higher! Higher! -‐by Leslie Patricelli

• The Sleepy Little Alphabet: A Bedtime Story from Alphabet Time-‐ by Judy Sierra; illustrations by Melissa Sweet

• Ten Tiny Babies-‐ by Karen Katz

• They Very Hungry Caterpillar-‐ by Eric Carle

• Max’s New Suit-‐ by Rosemary Wells

• Spot Goes to the Farm-‐ by Eric Hill

• Go, Dog, Go-‐ by P.D. Eastman

• How a Baby Grows-‐ by Nora Buck

• Twinkle, Twinkle: An Animal Lover’s Mother Goose-‐ by Bobbie Fabian

• Dr .Seuss’s Sleep Book-‐ by Dr. Seuss

• Barnyard Dance!-‐ by Sandra Boynton

• Goodnight Gorilla-‐ by Peggy Rathmann

• Guess How Much I Love You-‐ by Sam McBratney

• Snuggle Puppy-‐ by Sandra Boynton

Ages 2-‐3

• Terrible Teresa and Other Very Short Stories-‐ by Mittie Cuetara

• I Don’t Care, Said the Bear-‐ by Collin West

• Where the Wild Things Are-‐ by Maurice Sendak

• Contrary Mary-‐ by Anita Jeram

• Trade-‐In Mother-‐ by Marisabina Russo

• Corduroy-‐ by Don Freeman

• The Little Engine That Could-‐ by Watty Piper

• The Wheels on the Bus-‐ by Paul O. Zelinsky

• Are You My Mother-‐ by Phillip D. Eastman

• Time For Bed-‐ by Mem Fox

• My Car-‐ by Byron Barton

• Freight Train-‐ by Donald Crews

• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt-‐ by Michael Rosen

• Giraffes Can’t Dance-‐ by Giles Andreae

• Llama Llama Red Pajama-‐by Anna Dewdney

• My Daddy and Me-‐ by Tina Macnaughton

• I Love My Mommy Because…-‐ by Laurel Porter-‐Gaylord

• Princess Baby-‐ by Karen Katz

• Elmo’s Big Lift-‐And-‐look Book-‐by Anna Ross

• Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site-‐ by Sherri Duskey Rinker

• Dinosaur Roar!-‐by Henrietta Stickland

Ages 3-‐5

• The House in the Night-‐ by Susan Marie Swanson illustrated by Beth Krommes

• The Snow Day-‐ by Komako Sakai

• Up, Down, and Around-‐ by Katherine Ayers illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott

• Tadpole Rex-‐ by Kurt Cyrus

• Monkey and Me-‐ by Emily Gravett

• Orange Pear Apple Bear-‐ by Emily Gravett

• It’s Moving Day!-‐ by Pamela Hickma illustrated by Geraldo Valerio

• Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories-‐ by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

• Duck Soup-‐ by Jackie Urbanovic

• Hansel and Gretel-‐ by James Vance Marshall

• The Three Little Pigs-‐ by James Marshall

• Cinderella-‐by Hara Lewis

• The Berenstain Bears and the Homework Hassle-‐ by Stan Berenstain

• The Bernstein Bears Forget Their Manners-‐ by Stan Bernstein

• I’m Gonna Like Me-‐ by Jamie Lee Curtis

• The Wildest Brother-‐ by Cornelia Funke

• Harry and the Lady Next Door-‐ by Gene Zion

• How Rocket Learned to Read-‐ by Tad Hills

• Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!-‐ by Mo Willems

• Pink is Just a Color and so is Blue-‐ by Niki Bhatia

• Bullies Never Win-‐ by Margery Cuyler

• Tallulah’s Tutu-‐ by Marilyn Singer

• In the Sea-‐ by David Elliott

• Brave Irene-‐ by William Steig

Kindergarten

• The Kissing Hand-‐ by Audrey Penn

• Kindergarten Rocks!-‐ by Katie Davis

• Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten-‐ by Joseph Slate

• Is Your Buffalo Ready for Kindergarten?-‐ by Audrey Vernick

• Green Eggs and Ham-‐ by Dr. Seuss

• Madeline-‐ by Ludwig Bemelmans

• Kindergarten Diary-‐ by Antoinette Portis

• The Night Before Kindergarten-‐ by Natasha Wing

• The Cat in The Hat-‐ by Dr. Suess

• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day-‐ by Judith Viorst

• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie-‐ by Laura Joffe Numeroff

• The Giving Tree-‐ by Sheil Silverstein

• A Sick Day for Amos McGee-‐ by Phillip C. Stead

• Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type-‐ by Doreen Cronin

• The Grouchy Ladybug-‐ by Eric Carle

• Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes-‐ by Eric Litwin

• Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come-‐ by Nancy Carlson

• I Like Myself-‐ by Karen Beaumont

• The Crayon Box that Talked-‐ by Shane Derolf

• A Bad Case of Stripes-‐ by David Shannon

• I Want My Hat Back-‐ by Jon Klassen

• I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More!-‐ by Karen Beaumont

• Dog In Boots-‐ by Greg Gormley

• How Rocket Learned to Read-‐ by Tad Hills

1st Grade

• The Cat in the Hat-‐ by Dr. Seuss

• Frog and Toad Are Friends-‐ by Arnold Lobel

• Interrupting Chicken-‐ by David Ezra Stein

• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish-‐ by Dr. Seuss

• Harold and the Purple Crayon-‐ by Crockett Johnson

• My Father’s Dragon-‐ by Ruth Stiles Gannett

• Amelia Bedelia-‐ by Peggy Parish

• Dinosaurs Before Dark-‐ by Mary Pope Osborne

• Hop of Pop-‐ by Dr. Seuss

• Danny and the Dinosaur-‐ by Syd Hoff

• The Doorbell Rang-‐ by Pat Hutchins

• The Tale of Peter Rabbit-‐ by Beatrix Potter

• Alexander and the Wind-‐Up Mouse-‐ by Leo Lionni

• We are in a Book!-‐ by MO Willems

• Art & Max-‐ by David Wiesner

• Frog and Toad All Year-‐ by Arnold Lobel

• Miss Nelson Is Missing!-‐ by Harry Allard

• The Alphabet Tree-‐ by Leo Lionni

• The Incredible Book-‐Eating Boy-‐ by Oliver Jeffers

• Reading Makes You Feel Good-‐ by Todd Parr

• The Sneetches and Other Stories-‐ by Dr. Seuss

• I like Myself-‐ by Karen Beaumont

• Olivia-‐ by Ian Falconer

• Widget-‐ by Lynn Rossiter McFarland

Math Readiness

Math is much more than equations and fractions. Math skills, at the Kindergarten level, help to build the foundation for future math skills and every day requirements.

Kindergarten students need to come to school with an understanding of basic math skills including:

• Know left and right

• Counting 1-‐30

• Number identification 1-‐10

• Basic Shape Identification (circle, square, triangle, rectangle, hexagon)

• Sorting objects by more than one attribute

• Basic measurement comparisons

• Basic Pattern Sequencing

FUN ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH YOUR CHILD

o As you give your child a snack, have him or her count each piece. I.e. How many goldfish crackers do you have?

o Have your child work on counting down the number of days until his or her birthday or another important event. I.e. yesterday your birthday was in 5 days how many days until your birthday now?

o Have your child recite nursery rhymes or songs that are based around numbers and counting.

o Have your child count toys as they clean up after playing.

o Have your child compare the number of a certain object and determine if they have more or less than someone else.

o Have your child put blocks with numbers in numerical order.

o Have your child fill in a missing piece of pattern. I.e. you have four blocks that alternate red, yellow, red, and yellow. Have your child put the next block down.

o Have your child tell you if certain objects are heavy or light and which ones are easy to pick up.

o Have your child play directional games. Have them complete various tasks following directions such as up, down, forward, backward, side to side, and etc.

o Have your child help you measure ingredients as you cook. This can be as simple as counting out three eggs or using measuring cups with assistance.

o Put together shapes your child already knows in order to create new shapes.

o Have your child show you various numbers using his or her fingers.

o Have children point out different shapes in the environment.

Fine Motor Skill Activities

It is important that you teach your child how to manipulate various objects including crayons, pencils, scissors, and various other objects in the environment. Children do not learn how to do all of these things on their own, they must be taught and allowed the time to practice with support and guidance.

o Teach your child how to hold a fork and spoon correctly. Start with small toddler size ones.

o Teach your child how to hold a pencil or crayon. It is best to start with the fatter crayons and pencils as they are easier to grip.

o Provide various puzzles for your child to complete. At a young age start with larger puzzle pieces and progress to more complicated smaller pieces as they get older.

o Have your child use a spray bottle with water in it to water various objects. Teach your child how to hold the bottle and use their index finger to pull the trigger. This can be a fun activity to do outside on a warm sunny day.

o Have your child start by tearing various pieces of paper. Colored paper works best.

o Once children are ready have them use safety scissors to cut colored paper into various strips and shapes. This can also be a great way to work on math skills at the same time.

o Have your children put various lids on containers. Teacher them how to line the edges up and how to put it on.

o Have your child play with play dough. Let them tear it apart and make various shapes and designs with their hands. Also use cookie cutters in order to make other shapes and objects. Your child may want to eat the playdough early on so keep a close eye on them.

o Use large beads to string on a piece of string or yarn. Have your child alternate colors and come up with various patterns of colors and shapes.

o Have your child practice writing the letters of the alphabet. This is a great activity to do on a white board. You can also have them start by tracing the letters with a different color after you have wrote them lightly.

o Have your child draw you pictures. The pictures may not look like anything but you are allowing your child the opportunity to work on their fine motor skills as well as their imagination. After they finishing drawing have them describe to you what they drew. This allows them to work on their communication skills as well as social skills.

o Have your child zip and button his or her own clothing.

o Teach your child how to tie a shoe. They will need lots of practice with this, but need to be exposed to it early and often. The next page includes helpful pointers on teaching your child to tie shoes.

Tying Shoes Tips

Bunny Ears

o Tell the child to make their shoe laces into two "bunny ears."

o Next, they need to secure a knot for the bunny's head. Take the laces and cross them over to make an "X". Then, pull one ear through the bottom of the "X" and pull tight.

o Tell them, "Now we need to give bunny some ears." Loop the laces into "bunny ears".

o Tell the child that now we need to "make the bunny ears tight so they don't fall off". Then make another "X" using the "bunny ears", slide one "ear" under the "X" and pull tightly

Bi-Colored Laces This is a great tip that can really make learning to tie much easier. Take two laces in two different colors and cut them down the middle. Then sew them together to make two bi-colored laces. Lace a pair of old shoes with these funny shoes strings. Using bi-colored laces can really help a kid who has trouble remembering his right from his left. You can use any learning-to-tie method in combination with your bi-colored laces.

Larger Than Life Shoe Take a cardboard box and cut out an over-sized shoe shape. Have your kid decorate the shoe to fit their personality and style. Using a pen, poke holes for laces. Use the bi-colored lace tip above, but instead of cutting the original laces in two, use two entire laces sewn together to create one long, bi-colored shoe string. Lace the shoe up just like a regular shoe and have your child practice tying. Lots of kids enjoy using the larger shoe to practice and see it as a game rather than a learning activity.

For more information or questions please contact:

Tyler Small

Ball State University School Administration Intern

[email protected]

or

Trael Kelly

Pleasant Grove Elementary School

Principal and Mentor

[email protected]

school readiness packet[1] - center grove elementary … · indiana school readiness skills- birth...

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