As a parent, you are your child’s most important teacher. It is vital that you spend quality time with your child each day. Following is a list of suggested activities to help prepare your child for starting Kindergarten in the fall.

Read to your child each day. Research has shown this is the single most important factor in determining success in school. Go to the library and pick out new books to read every couple of weeks.

Talk to your child about things in his/her environment. Does your child name common objects? If he or she is using words such as "this", "that" or "thing", he may not know the name of the objects to which he is referring.

Listen to your child. Can he express his thoughts clearly? Is he able to retell an event in the proper sequence? Children need many opportunities to express their thoughts.

Sing songs together and recite nursery rhymes together.

Keep a summer scrapbook.
Let your child collect pictures and tokens of activities they participated in over the summer. Write about the activity as your child dictates to you. Read what he has written together.

Allow your child to use scissors.
Try cutting a large variety of materials from clay to cards to fabric. Watch your child as he cuts and show him the proper way to hold the scissors.

Have your child practice sorting objects.
Sort the silverware as you empty the dishwasher or sort clothes into piles of different colors.

The following are things your child should be able to do when entering Kindergarten:

Personal Skills

* Communicates so that others can understand him.
* Knows how he is going home on the first day (bus, car, or stay after school). Can tell you his bus number.
* Takes care of his own personal needs such as going to the bathroom, washing hands, handling a plate and silverware without assistance.
* Handles clothing without assistance – hang up coat, zip pants or jacket, button clothing.

Social Skills

* Plays well with other children.
* Follows a daily routine.
* Gets along with other children in an appropriate manner.
* Shares with others.
* Picks up activities when finished working.

Academic Skills

* Expresses ideas using descriptive words and complete sentences.
* Listens to a story without being interrupted.
* Concentrates on a task for ten minutes.
* Recognizes his own name in print.
* Names basic shapes: triangle, square, circle and rectangle.
* Identifies colors: red, yellow, blue, black, brown, green, orange, purple.
* Counts to ten.
* Locates print on a page and tells what it is used for.
* Recognizes numbers to 5
* Tells how two objects are alike and how two objects are different.

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About the Author
Iliana Sanchez is a WAHM of three children, living in the North suburbs of Georgia. She is owner of The Parent Club http://www.theparentclub.com and The Expecting Club http://www.expectingclub.com She can be reached at iliana@theparentclub.com

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