Assess His/Her Skills
If you're worried about your little one making
a smooth transition to kindergarten, take
heart. The majority of children are well
prepared to begin kindergarten, according to
Fred Morrison, a professor of psychology at
Loyola University in Chicago. Morrison gets
lots of questions from parents who wonder
whether their child is ready to start school.
Is yours? For the answer, think about your
child's development in four areas: literacy
skills, social skills, self-esteem, and
peer-relations skills.
Literacy skills
Kindergarten is designed to develop kids'
literacy skills in preparation for first
grade, says Morrison. Most kids are adequately
prepared for the demands that kindergarten
will place on them. If your child attended
preschool, you will notice very minor changes
in kindergarten and the early grades.
Social Skills
Parents worry about two types of social
skills: how well their child gets along with
other people, and work-related skills (a
child's degree of independence, level of
responsibility, and ability to cooperate).Essentially, these
are the skills your child will need in order
to learn in a classroom. He'll also need to
follow directions, behave while unsupervised,
and clean up after himself. "These skills are
as critical to learning as reading and math
are," Morrison says. "It's a big concern in
the education community that kids are coming
to school without these skills. Kids will
build on them every single year throughout
school."
Self-Esteem
Morrison says not to worry too much about your
child's self-esteem. "Research suggests that
poor achievement isn't a result of a bad
self-image. And at the beginning of
kindergarten, the vast majority of kids think
very highly of themselves."
Peer Relations
Most kids interact well with other kids; only
a small percentage have difficulties
interacting in the classroom or on the
playground.
Remember that as a
parent, you are your child's first teacher.
Your child will learn and develop many skills
while at school, but those that he learns from
you -- how to cooperate, follow directions,
and clean up after himself -- will help him
get off to a great start in kindergarten!
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