- What is Kindergarten Readiness?
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Kindergarten Readiness is the idea of preparing children for the day-to-day expectations of kindergarten and school through early life experiences.
- What are Kindergarten Readiness Indicators?
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Kindergarten Readiness indicators cover a wide range of development, including Reading, Writing and Math Readiness; Gross and Fine Motor Skills; Artistic/Sensory, Social/Emotional and Language/Vocabulary Development.
- How Do I Create Kindergarten Readiness Experiences?
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Begin with the Palmetto Basics. The Basics are five fun, simple, and powerful ways to help children become the happiest and most successful they can be!
Maximize Love by cuddling, soothing, singing, and talking to your child. Be consistent with feeding, bathing, reading, and bedtime. Your child does best when they know what to expect.
Manage Stress because too much stress is bad for your child’s developing brain. Adults’ stress can trickle down to children. Talk to friends, family, or your doctor if you need help with stress management.
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Talk to your child from birth during activities like changing, feeding, bathing, and errands. Describe what you are doing. Listen and respond to your child. Have a conversation. This is when the most powerful learning takes place.
Sing to your child. This is a fun way for them to learn language. You might have certain songs for special times of the day, like clean up time.
Point to and name colors, shapes and objects around you. Don’t be afraid to use specific words, like daffodil instead of flower. This is a great opportunity to introduce new vocabulary.
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Count groups of things, starting with small numbers. For example, count your child’s toes or pieces of fruit. Children learn through all of their senses, so hold objects for your child to see and touch while you count them.
Group, match and sort objects by shape, color, size or other features. Practice putting things in order: smallest to largest, youngest to oldest, or heaviest to lightest. See what other categories they come up with!
Compare sizes, amounts, and weights of various objects. For example, describe things as “large, small, light,” or “heavy.” Ask your child which objects are larger or smaller.
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Explore Movement through simple games like peek-a-boo; rolling a ball back-and-forth; or by building a simple obstacle course from blankets and pillows. Take a walk together. Stop and examine rocks, bugs, or plants and talk about what you see.
Explore Play with your child. Provide drawing and coloring activities. This is a good way to inspire creativity. Turn a cardboard box into a race car, train or boat; have a tea party; build a city with blocks or shoeboxes … the options are limitless.
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Read Stories daily; let your child turn the pages; talk about the pictures and what is happening in them. Make sharing books relaxing and fun so your child will develop a love of books.
Discuss Stories while you read. Respond to your child’s comments and questions about the story. Ask questions, such as, “What do you think will happen next? Why?”
Visit Your Library to borrow books and enjoy fun story times!
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Born Learning Trails
The Born Learning Trail at the Augusta Road Branch and the Five Forks Branch is a short outdoor walking trail featuring ideas for learning activities that promote Kindergarten Readiness. As you and your child walk, explore shapes on the ground, play hopscotch, and talk about the things you hear and see.