Parents Are Worried DCKs May Not Be Kinder-Ready

[SunflowerMama]

So I need a little help. I have 2 dcgs that are both 5 and my own twin girls will be 5 in a month. All 4 will be heading to kindergarten in the Fall. I love their moms and want to make sure I do all I can to help get them ready for school.

The other girls' moms both have older children and are a little concerned about the dcgs' readiness for kindergarten in the Fall (not reading, handwriting is still mostly uppercase and messy, etc.). I of course do numbers, letters, colors, shapes, etc. throughout the day with all the dcks during our day to day activities and books.

I don't have any older children of my own and have always taken the approach that the social skills (being a good friend, listening, self-help skills, sitting quietly, etc.) are more important to work on than academics before kindergarten. I don't know what's expected in kindergarten and if the kids are ready or not. My thought was that kids probably come in at all different levels and the teachers would expect that and just spend the first few months getting everyone on the same page socially and academically.

We have a curriculum but it's faith-based and not academic in nature. Unfortunately I'm not a teacher so don't know if I should be sitting down with the older kids more and working on writing and doing worksheets, etc.

In their free play they write out lists, menus, make cards for each other and just ask how to spell out specific words. So they do work on their writing independently throughout the day. They also have constant access to art supplies, crayons, paper, scissors, glue, etc. throughout the day so are always working on something .

They can all count to 50+, know all their shapes, letters, phonics, colors, can recognize a few basic sight words, etc. I just don't know if I should be doing more and maybe get them each pre-k workbooks to work on daily or get some writing notebooks or worksheets (not a fan of worksheets btw).

Advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

[cheerfuldom]

A lot of schools will have a "kinder readiness" handout for parents so you might contact the school and see what they have. most of the ones I have seen are almost exclusively non-academic items.

[Cat Herder]

Have you asked the parents what they are doing at home to compliment their childrens education? :confused:

It is NOT 100% on you...

Check out your Elementary Schools website... there should be a list of goals for Kindergarten Readiness. It will be in the Parents Information Section.

also: http://school.familyeducation.com/ki...ess/38491.html

[GretasLittleFriends]

Not sure what state you are in, but you could use Google and type "kindergarten readiness requirements (your state)" and see what comes up. I just typed kindergarten readiness requirements, and here is what the first site said:

While there's no perfect formula that determines when children are truly ready for kindergarten, you can use this checklist to see how well your child is doing in acquiring the skills found on most kindergarten checklists.

Check the skills your child has mastered. Then recheck every month to see what additional skills your child can accomplish easily.

Young children change so fast -- if they can't do something this week, they may be able to do it a few weeks later.

# Listen to stories without interrupting
# Recognize rhyming sounds
# Pay attention for short periods of time to adult-directed tasks
# Understand actions have both causes and effects
# Show understanding of general times of day
# Cut with scissors
# Trace basic shapes
# Begin to share with others
# Start to follow rules
# Be able to recognize authority
# Manage bathroom needs
# Button shirts, pants, coats, and zip up zippers
# Begin to control oneself
# Separate from parents without being upset
# Speak understandably
# Talk in complete sentences of five to six words
# Look at pictures and then tell stories
# Identify rhyming words
# Identify the beginning sound of some words
# Identify some alphabet letters
# Recognize some common sight words like "stop"
# Sort similar objects by color, size, and shape
# Recognize groups of one, two, three, four, and five objects
# Count to ten
# Bounce a ball

If your child has acquired most of the skills on this checklist and will be at least four years old at the start of the summer before he or she starts kindergarten, he or she is probably ready for kindergarten. What teachers want to see on the first day of school are children who are healthy, mature, capable, and eager to learn.

Read more on FamilyEducation: http://school.familyeducation.com/ki...#ixzz1lbuMKdQo

[GretasLittleFriends]

Have you asked the parents what they are doing at home to compliment their childrens education? :confused:

It is NOT 100% on you...

Check out your Elementary Schools website... there should be a list of goals for Kindergarten Readiness. It will be in the Parents Information Section.

Great advice!!

[countrymom]

we here in ontario just dump our kids in kindy, you don't even have to be ready for kindy. My kids have always been over ready for kindy and found it very boring. Tell their moms not worry they will learn, thats what they have teachers for.

[momofboys]

Have you asked the parents what they are doing at home to compliment their childrens education? :confused:

It is NOT 100% on you...

Check out your Elementary Schools website... there should be a list of goals for Kindergarten Readiness. It will be in the Parents Information Section.

also: http://school.familyeducation.com/ki...ess/38491.html

ITA! - I think it sounds like you are doing more than enough. The parents also need to work with their kids at home. It should not all be your responsibility!

[bice99]

From a veteran 1st grade teacher - social skills are HUGE! The fact that they know their letters is HUGE! Handwriting is taught in first grade. Of course working on it beforehand is helpful, but not required. Knowing how to hold scissors or use glue are helpful. Work on learning to tie their shoes. But bottom line - any kindergarten teacher can tell you which kids were never in a group setting by 9 am on the first day of school. Those are the kids that take away from the other kids' learning because they cannot freeplay (need that one-on-one with adult), sit for a story, raise their hand or wait their turn. It sounds like what you are doing with all 4 munchkins is wonderful. Thank you

[melskids]

From a veteran 1st grade teacher - social skills are HUGE! The fact that they know their letters is HUGE! Handwriting is taught in first grade. Of course working on it beforehand is helpful, but not required. Knowing how to hold scissors or use glue are helpful. Work on learning to tie their shoes. But bottom line - any kindergarten teacher can tell you which kids were never in a group setting by 9 am on the first day of school. Those are the kids that take away from the other kids' learning because they cannot freeplay (need that one-on-one with adult), sit for a story, raise their hand or wait their turn. It sounds like what you are doing with all 4 munchkins is wonderful. Thank you

Exactly!

Also, I just attended a workshop/training by a licensed OT. She said children are not ready to write until 6 or 7 years old, and forcing them to do so, while skipping the important steps to get there (playdough, lacing, etc) Is actually doing more harm than good.

[safechner]

So I need a little help. I have 2 dcgs that are both 5 and my own twin girls will be 5 in a month. All 4 will be heading to kindergarten in the Fall. I love their moms and want to make sure I do all I can to help get them ready for school.

The other girls' moms both have older children and are a little concerned about the dcgs' readiness for kindergarten in the Fall (not reading, handwriting is still mostly uppercase and messy, etc.). I of course do numbers, letters, colors, shapes, etc. throughout the day with all the dcks during our day to day activities and books.

I don't have any older children of my own and have always taken the approach that the social skills (being a good friend, listening, self-help skills, sitting quietly, etc.) are more important to work on than academics before kindergarten. I don't know what's expected in kindergarten and if the kids are ready or not. My thought was that kids probably come in at all different levels and the teachers would expect that and just spend the first few months getting everyone on the same page socially and academically.

We have a curriculum but it's faith-based and not academic in nature. Unfortunately I'm not a teacher so don't know if I should be sitting down with the older kids more and working on writing and doing worksheets, etc.

In their free play they write out lists, menus, make cards for each other and just ask how to spell out specific words. So they do work on their writing independently throughout the day.

They can all count to 50+, know all their shapes, letters, phonics, colors, can recognize a few basic sight words, etc. I just don't know if I should be doing more and maybe get them each pre-k workbooks to work on daily or get some writing notebooks or worksheets (not a fan of worksheets btw).

Advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

I am sure you are doing a great job to work with the kids. Honestly, all the kids are different. They do have kindergarten screen testing in the summer in Texas. Your daycare kids will be fine, trust me. They will learn more stuff in kindergarten or they may already learned more stuff before Kindergarten. My daughter was very excited to get in Kindergarten and she found it was so boring because she already learned a lot of things that I taught her since she was 2 years old.

My daughter is in 3rd grades and she can read 6 grades level. She is going take tsk test for the first time in May.

[daycare]

Have you asked the parents what they are doing at home to compliment their childrens education? :confused:

It is NOT 100% on you...

Check out your Elementary Schools website... there should be a list of goals for Kindergarten Readiness. It will be in the Parents Information Section.

also: http://school.familyeducation.com/ki...ess/38491.html

exactly this.....

It is not only your responsibility. A child will need the help and guidance from the parents for many years.

When I do my kinder ready program, I go off of my state requirements and I also make sure that the parent is on board. I require that they do homework with their child, which is usually reading to their child nightly as well as one or two fun activity to do together. Its gets both the child and the parent in a routine to learning to sit together nightly and do homework.

I would print out the list that your state requires and go off of that. Sit down with parents and show them. Then do an evaluation on the child to see where they are. Do it again in 2 months and then 2 more months and so on. Every 2 months, show the parents the progress the child has made.

I also agree with PP about the importance of having social skills. Kinder is not what it used to be like when we were kids. Well I didnt go to school here in the US, but this is what I hear. Before it was all about learning to share with our friends, sit at our desks, wait your turn, how to play nice......

I tell parents that the most important thing I teach the children is self help, every day life skills, how to make good decisions regardless of what others are doing, to think for themselves, to learn to express their feelings and to cope with their emotions.

There is a lot more that I could go on with, but the kids just got done eating so I have to go...

DOn't stress over it. If the parents are that worried, then let them pull their kid....

[wdmmom]

When is kindergarden round-up? I'd contact the elementary school and ask them what (if anything) they test the children for at that time.

I know it used to be:

Shapes
Colors
Months of the year
Days of the week
Birthday
Can write their name (First and Last)
Can tie their shoes
and letter recognition (at least half of the alphabet)

I know because of the No Child Left Behind Act, schools have become more lenient on enrollment of kindergarden.

[seebachers]

here they are more worried about rhyming words and phonics on the kindergarten readiness - we received a score sheet on what they knew and didn't know and where they were weakest at. Yes, this was the April before Kindergarten started - which was the last week of august.
Contact your school district and find out what they are looking for.

[Hunni Bee]

From a veteran 1st grade teacher - social skills are HUGE! The fact that they know their letters is HUGE! Handwriting is taught in first grade. Of course working on it beforehand is helpful, but not required. Knowing how to hold scissors or use glue are helpful. Work on learning to tie their shoes. But bottom line - any kindergarten teacher can tell you which kids were never in a group setting by 9 am on the first day of school. Those are the kids that take away from the other kids' learning because they cannot freeplay (need that one-on-one with adult), sit for a story, raise their hand or wait their turn. It sounds like what you are doing with all 4 munchkins is wonderful. Thank you

I have several kindergarteners and their homework consists of: spelling words, writing sentences, memorizing 20 or more sight words...

Stuff I didn't see til first or second grade. . It makes me sad...and a little worried because we dont run an academic program. I wonder if ours will be ready, too.

[MNMum]

My kids are in a school district that is very into academics in Kindergarten. However, when I sat down for an inservice with two of the Kindergarten teachers, they were begging us to focus on self help skills and group directions. Also, writing first name using first letter capitalization, following lowercase. Recognizing numbers, shapes, and at least the letters of their names. Also, fine motor skills, which are best learned through play with different materials - playdough, art skills, scissor skills.

Sounds like you are doing a great job with your group!