Stepping Into Kindergarten
Starting school is a big step for your child and your whole family. Itʼs a wonderful and exciting experience, but it also means a big change for you and your child.
At Woodland Primary School, we want to help you get off to a good start by giving you and your child information that will help you prepare. This booklet gives you:
♦ suggestions for ways to help your child get ready for school expectations and routines
♦ information about how children learn and develop
♦ activities to help make the most of those important learning opportunities at home.
This booklet is also a fun project for your child. Woody the Wildcat will lead you to places in this booklet for your child to draw and contribute. These are parts you can do together. As you and your child do these activities together, you can talk about how your child feels about starting school and what your child can expect in kindergarten. These activities will help your child feel confident and excited about starting school.
Learning and Growing in the "Kinder-Garden"
The word kindergarten comes from German and literally means "childrenʼs garden." Itʼs a place where your child will grow and learn. Here is what you can expect in your childʼs kindergarten class:
A Stimulating Learning Environment
The kindergarten classrooms reflect the program. It is alive with activity centers, creative materials, books, letters and words, dress-up clothes, art supplies, calendars, child-size furniture, blocks, puzzles, games, paper, pencils, a computer and much more. All classrooms have, plants, story rugs and water tables.
Variety of Learning Activities
Kindergarten teachers plan many learning activities during the 2
1/2 hour program. Every day, the teacher will spend time with the class as a whole group, doing direct teaching. The teacher will also spend time with students in small groups and one-to-one. Every day, the teacher will read stories, and the whole class will sing songs and learn rhymes or poetry. Children will work on their own and in groups. They will learn through play. Virtually every day there will be outdoor or indoor physical activity.
Active Learning
In kindergarten, children learn best through active experience. Children learn through exploration and discovery. Teachers combine subject areas to create learning opportunities that resemble real life—for example, playing store as a way of learning letters, numbers and social skills. There are times when children are expected to sit quietly and listen–but most of the time, kindergarten classes are filled with sound and activity.
Appreciation for Diversity
Every child is different. In the average kindergarten class, each child is at a slightly different developmental stage. Children come from various racial and cultural backgrounds. They may speak different languages. They may have different learning styles. These differences are respected and celebrated. The kindergarten teacher designs a program with each childʼs unique learning needs in mind.
Here at the Primary Building, teachers are trained to differentiate instruction to meet the varied needs of all the early learners. Our curriculum is developmentally appropriate for our young students.
What do children think?
We asked some children who were in kindergarten last year:
"Before you started kindergarten, what did you think it would be like?"
Here are some of their answers:
♦ it’s not home
♦ hard work
Ask Your Child
What idea does your child have about going to kindergarten? Write down some of her answers. Ask him to draw a picture of what he thinks kindergarten will be like.
First Steps––Preparing for Kindergarten
How ready is my child for school? Thatʼs a question many parents ask. Generally, any child who is excited and enthusiastic about learning is well-equipped to do well in kindergarten.
Think about how much your child has learned already. Before ever starting school, your child has mastered some of the most important lessons of life.
They know the difference between themselves and others, between family and strangers. They grasp the connection between cause and effect. They have a developing sense of time—of past, present and future. They understand and can express special relationships—up from down, in from out, front from back. They can use the grammar of language and have a large vocabulary of words.
These are tremendous achievements and you were the teacher who helped your child accomplish them. Your child will build on these skills during the early years of school.
However, there are additional skills and knowledge you can ensure your child possesses even before school begins. They are listed on the next page in the form of a game you and your child can play. As your child takes each step in the game, provide a small reward such as a stamp or sticker to indicate that step has been mastered.
Dress for Kindergarten Success
When youʼre shopping for school clothes for your child, here are some tips to choosing the ideal wardrobe for "power learning."
Listening—It’s not as easy as it sounds
When we asked five and six year olds about kindergarten—what it was like, what children need to know, what they learn in school—the single biggest issue they mentioned was
listening.
Listening is a complex skill. Help your child to understand and practice the steps involved in listening:
Stop what you are doing.
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Look at the person who is speaking.
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Donʼt talk or move around when the person is speaking.
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Think about what the person is saying.
♦ class, your child will sit on the floor, jump, run, walk, bounce, stretch, crouch, bend and sit in a chair. Choose clothes and footwear that will be comfortable during all of these activities.
♦ Choose clothes, jackets, shoes and books that are easy to put on, take off and fasten.
♦ Kindergarten children learn best when they are exploring, discovering, experimenting—in other words, getting messy. Choose clothes that are durable and easy to clean.
♦ Outdoor play is an important part of the kindergarten program. Your child needs outdoor clothing for all types of weather.
♦ Keep special occasions in mind. Dressing in costume for Halloween is really fun, but make sure your child can put on their costumes without much help.
The Get Ready for School Game
Each of the wildcat paw prints tell you something you should know how to do before you start kindergarten. You can put a stamp or a sticker on each paw print when you have finished that step. When you have completed all the steps, youʼll be ready to start school!
Tell your first and last name.
Tell your telephone number and your address.
Tell the first and last name of each of your parents.
Know the way to the bus stop.
Print your name using upper and lower case letters. Itʼs okay for your mom or dad to print your name for you on the top of a piece of paper and you copy it underneath.
Tidy up your toys when youʼre finished playing.
Clear your own dishes from the table.
Go to the bathroom, flush the toilet and wash your hands by yourself.
Put on your shoes and tie your shoe laces.
[
Tip for parents: help your child learn to tie shoes by letting him or her sit on your legs and tie your shoe laces.]
Take off your sweater or jacket by yourself. Then put it back on, zip or button it up.
Listen quietly while someone reads you a story or poem.
Learning Through
Play
What do children think?
How Kindergarten Children Learn
Children learn best when they are having fun. Playing, experimenting, doing things, taking on different roles, imagining, pretending—these are all important learning techniques. Play continues to be important in the early grades and throughout school and life.
For this reason, play is also an important part of the kindergarten program. When children are playing in class, they arenʼt taking a break from learning, and the teacher isnʼt taking a break from teaching. Through play, children learn academic skills such as reading, writing, math and science. They also learn problem-solving and creative thinking. And they learn essential social skills.
Of course, kindergarten classes also have learning activities that you may think are more typical of school. Teachers do direct teaching with the whole class such as identifying letters of the alphabet and their sounds, demonstrating numbers, and illustrating science facts. Opportunities to differentiate instruction for different levels of learning are embraced throughout the day.
Together, the class looks at the calendar every day as a way of learning about concepts such as days of the week, seasons, weather and special occasions. Students spend time putting pencil to paper—printing letters, words and numbers.
At this age, play is an important way of learning for your child. As they play, they learn about the world and how it works, about other people, about themselves.
We asked: "What do you like about kindergarten?"
We have fun playing games.
We make up good ideas for pictures and stories.
We listen to fun stories and poems.
We talk and sing.
Play is your child’s homework
Watch your child at play. Your observations will give you insights into how your child prefers to learn. All play can be a learning experience and following are some ideas to help you make the most of play and learning opportunities.
Reading and Writing
♦ Play "Go-Fish." Put letters of the alphabet on inexpensive playing cards and give seven cards to each player. Take turns asking each other for cards—for example, "Do you have a B?" Each time you make a pair, discard it. When the game gets too easy for your child, use words instead of letters.
♦ Make sandpaper letters. Have him run his hands over the letters. Add a challenge by having your child touch the letter with his eyes closed to guess which one it is.
♦ Have her "write" her own shopping list when you make out yours. Ask her to "read" her list to you. When you go shopping, find suitable items from her list.
♦ Make a salt tray by pouring a thick layer of salt into a roasting pan. Your child can print letters with his finger in the salt.
♦ Play bingo and dominoes.
♦ Play "store." Put price tags on toys and let your child use coins to pay for them. Switch places and let your child be the shop keeper and make change.
♦ Create a picture telephone book. Put a picture of people you call regularly next to their phone number and have your child dial the phone number.
Ask Your Child
"Draw a picture of where your food goes inside you after your swallow."
Math
Science
♦ Measure the rain. Use a plastic jar with straight sides and a flat bottom and a marker. On the outside, mark "half full" and "full." Keep track of the amount of rainfall.
♦ Give your child a magnifying glass to inspect things up close like bugs, leaves, fabrics or anything she is interested in. Have her draw pictures of what she sees and keep them in a science journal.
♦ Let your child become a bathtub scientist. Give him different objects and ask him to predict which will float and which will sink, then test the predictions. A plastic container and measuring cups will allow him to practice measuring while in the tup. He can learn about suction from eye droppers and plastic syringes. An egg whisk will propel a toy boat along the water helping him to learn about propulsion and force.
Next time youʼre at the library, get a book about the human body and look at it together.
Ask Your Child
"Write" a story together. Have your child dictate a story to you. He can illustrate the story. Read the story to your child. Encourage her to read it to you.
Step by Step:
Measuring Your Child’s Progress in Kindergarten
In kindergarten, your child will receive formal report cards in February and June. Your childʼs teacher will also be continuously assessing your childʼs progress and will give you reports on how he/she is doing.
How does the teacher assess how well my child is learning?
Observations—watching and talking with your child. Every day your teacher will observe studentsʼ language development, and will assess what each childʼs responses tell the teacher about that childʼs knowledge of language.
♦ Portfolios—a showcase for best work. The teacher works with the children to select examples of all types of school work that represent their best work. Your child will have to explain why he/she picked each sample. As you, your child and the teacher review the portfolio over a period of time, it will be easy to see the progress he/she has made.
♦ Additional strategies—small tasks and assignments. Each strategy gives the teacher another part of the picture about how your child learns best.
Going Through Stages
Young children go through many stages as they grow and learn. One of the things your childʼs teacher will be considering as he or she does his or her assessment is your childʼs stage of development. Thatʼs important information to help the teacher plan a learning program suited to your childʼs individual needs.
Each child develops in his own way. Some areas develop more quickly than others but following are some things we know about what stage children are at in kindergarten.
Home Portfolios
Create a portfolio of your childʼs best work done at home. Keep it in a box or scrapbook. You might want to include:
♦ a copy of "writing" your child has done and you can translate what it says
♦ a story your child has dictated to you
♦ a sample of your childʼs attempt at printing his name
♦ a calendar page of your childʼs weekly tasks that were done well
♦ a photograph of something your child painted or made
♦ a list of your childʼs favorite stories
♦ Since children see the world differently from adults, teachers need to find out each childʼs level of mental maturity and make sure the learning program meets the students where they are.
♦ Since childrenʼs thinking at this age is closely tied to concrete objects and experience, they learn best by doing. Telling is not teaching. Teachers help kindergarten children to learn from their own personal experience.
♦ Since children make sense of their world through make-believe and play, much of their learning in kindergarten needs to resemble play.
♦ Since children develop mentally through a series of stages, they need time to learn and grow. Itʼs not a race and speed of development isnʼt important.
♦ Since children learn from their direct experiences in the here and now, the most important goal of kindergarten is to nurture their development. We place most emphasis on experiences that reward curiosity, thought and imagination.
Ask Your Child
Ask your child for an autograph. Print your childʼs name in this space, then let your child practice copying it.
Learning Styles
Your childʼs learning style is one of the factors the teacher will assess during the kindergarten year. Watch your child for clues about how he/she learns best. Share your observations with your childʼs teacher—your insights will help your teacher understand your childʼs learning needs.
If your child is always active, for example, as may children are, your child will find it hard to learn while sitting still. Here are some learning ideas that involve the entire body:
What do children think?
We asked: "What do children need to know before they come to kindergarten?"
♦ how to sit still
♦ how to share
♦ how to be nice to others
♦
have your child draw or scribble on giant sheets of paper, using thick markers or large paintbrushes
♦ "write" with a flashlight in a dark room
♦ draw letters, numbers and pictures in the sand
♦ make letters from bread dough, macaroni, yarn, clay, toothpicks, straws, etc.
♦ after you read a story to your child, act it out with him or her
♦ draw a number line on the sidewalk or driveway and have your child count, add and subtract by moving along the number line
♦ have your child use different parts of his body to measure things—how many "feet" long is your kitchen? how many "arms" long?
We asked: "What do you learn in kindergarten?"
♦
how to read
♦ to pick a different toy each day
♦ how to make pictures with many things
♦ we learn about 2D and 3D shapes
♦ to tidy up
♦ to work out our problem with friends
♦ how to have fun
Making the First Day Great
Do you remember your first day of school? Were you excited? Frightened? Sad? Your childhood memories about starting school, and the feelings those memories bring back, will influence how you feel about your child starting school.
You may have mixed feelings about the start of school–excitement for your child on one hand, a sense of loss on the other. You may be worried about how your child will cope with new routines and strangers. Your child may also have mixed feelings. Children may feel worried that their teacher wonʼt know their name or that they wonʼt know the children in class. But, most likely they also view the start of school and their new independence as an adventure and a challenge, especially if they feel prepared and know what to expect.
Your attitude towards the start of school can help set a positive tone. If you do feel anxious or worried, try not to pass those feelings along to your child. Hereʼs ways to help your child have a good experience during the first few days of school.
Before the First Day
Prior to the first day, practice walking to the bus stop often so it begins to feel like a familiar routine. Discuss with your child bus safety and go over the rules of the bus.
A few days before school starts, begin getting your child and yourself used to the bedtime and wake-up schedule that will be required during school.
Get everything ready a day or two in advance. The day before, help your child pick out what he or she is going to wear on the first day of school. Choose a favorite outfit from clothes that are already "broken-in" and comfortable.
Try to get your child and yourself off to bed a bit early, so youʼre both well rested in the morning.
The First Day
Get yourself and your child up early enough to eat a calm, unhurried breakfast. And keep things as normal as possible—if your child normally has cereal for breakfast, make them cereal this morning.
When you say good-bye to your child on the first day, make it quick, light and reassuring. They will be reassured by a warm hug and a reminder that you, or their usual caregiver, will be picking them up or waiting at home after school is finished. Try not to communicate your feelings of anxiety and separation.
Many parents feel a temporary sense of loss when their children go off to school. If youʼre feeling that way, plan a special activity for yourself that you can look forward to during the first days of school.
After School
Plan a special dinner with your childʼs favorite foods to celebrate the first day of school.
Use the first day to start some routines that will help make sure the whole school year is great. One of these is to talk with your child every day about what happened at school.
Because five and six year olds are not often talkative about school when they are at home, here are some questions that can help you start the conversation:
♦ What did you do today that you really liked?
♦ Did you make a special friend? What is special about them?
♦ What do you like best about your teacher or about one of your friends?
♦ What are you looking forward to doing tomorrow?
Ask your child
After your childʼs first day of kindergarten ask him about his teacher. Ask her to draw of a picture of the teacher.
A good routine to get started on the first day of school is displaying your childʼs school work. After you have looked at it and talked about it with him, display it on the fridge; or create a gallery with an inexpensive bulletin board hung in a hallway on which to tack your childʼs school work. Get the art gallery started by having your child draw a picture about the first day of school.
What do children think?
We asked: "What would you tell a child who is starting kindergarten?"
♦
Kindergarten is fun.
♦
You have to listen.
♦
You have to work, but there’s lots of playtime, too.
♦
You’ll make new friends.
♦
There are blocks, toys, books and lots to do.
In kindergarten, we share. We share everything.
—Robert Munsch
Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten.
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