TEACHERS! What are the MOST important things to teach your child before they enter kindergarden?

Question

I cannot afford preschool for my child. My income is not low enough to get her into head start (I have already tried) but it's not enough to pay for it myself. I just need some advice on what to teach her so she will not be so far behind the other children. She has attended preschool for about 3 months but due to financial reasons I had to withdraw her. So what are the most important things she should know? And what are some good ways to teach it to her at home? Would you say movies? books? hands on activities? etc....

Answer 1

I don't think a child HAS to learn anything before going to Kindergarten. That is why they go to Kindergarten...to learn the alphabet, counting, colors, etc.
Of course it never hurts to do some learning activities with them at home. Light activities such as reading, games, science experiments, and crafts are fun and can be a good learning experience.
My daughters went to Kindergarten and I also did things at home with them just to help them along but, I didn't pressure them into learning anything. Make it fun and they will pick things up easily. Now is not the time for pressure..they will get plenty of that later on in their life.
But, if I had to give a list to concentrate on then I would say things like letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and same and opposites (hot/cold, in/out, short/tall, big/small). And of course, READING! Reading stories is the best thing you can do for your child I think.
Good luck!

Answer 2

Simple Things Like
Her ABC's How To Count At Least Up To Twenty
Simple Things 1+1= 2+2=

Answer 3

I'm going to add something over and above what what everyone else said. I didn't read every answer in detail, but the ones I saw had fantastic thoughts in it. Kudos to the answers in this question.

For me, I view the classroom very differently. It is not a place to learn how to do specific things...it's a place to learn how to work independently, make choices, build up concentration, and develop a love of learning. Through that, the child will learn a lot of the things that were brought up if they are available to the child.

So...no specific ideas of WHAT to teach her. You got some good responses here. But I will say this. No matter what you teach her, be sure to include those ideas. If she develops a sense of independence while still understanding she has to build that independence in the context of respecting other people's rights in the classroom, she will go farther than simply whether or not you "taught her everything" she needs to know for Kindergarten.

Just something to keep in mind!
Matt

Answer 4

I would call the school he will be going to and find out what is needed for that school.
Here are a few things:
Name, address, mother and fathers names,
hopefully can write name with help is ok- or at least recognize it.
say ABC's and recognize some, attempt to write some. Some of the sounds they make
count to 50 and recognize at least 1-10 (at target they have a great toy for this-cookies in a jar and every cookie has a # (say 3) and on the other side that cookie will have 3 chocolate chips
simple addition (show your child 1 apple + 2 apples)
Rhyme. this is important to teach kids to rhyme, it's the first step in reading. Be silly with it.
Repetition! I count everything with my kids, and count while driving in the car, even if they don't do it-they are hearing it. Read to them and move your finger so they see you go left to right.

Here is an article at parent center about teaching your child ABC's and YES! hands one activities are GREAT!!
http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/expert/preschooler/ppreschool/69687.html

Here's a check list of things they need to know: http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/Before_Kindergarten.html

Here's another good one I found:
http://school.familyeducation.com/kindergarten/parenting/36063.html

Answer 5

Many of the important things have nothing to do with academics. Can she manage in the bathroom by herself? Can she wash her hands if they get messy? Can she get her own jacket on and off? Does she know how to take turns? Can she listen to a story in a group and focus on the story? Does she know her full name, her address and her phone number? Has she been away from you for more than a few minutes and does she separate easily? Many public libraries have story hours which are a great way to begin to learn to function in a group, and they are free. Also check to see if there is a vocational high school nearby that teaches Early Childhood and has a lab school for it's students to gain experience. The teachers who run those programd are usually experienced Early Childhood Educators.

There are also the readiness skills. Does she know colors and shapes? Can she count objects up to 10? Being able to count to 50 is a cute memory trick but it is meaningless if the child has no concept as to what the numbers mean. Let her help you count spoons to set the table, match socks when you are sorting laundry. One of the signs that a child is ready to learn to read is that she recognizes common logos and symbols. Can she choose the cheerios over the corn flakes? Does she know when you are approaching her favorite fast food restaurant. Can she pick out the Dora tape from looking at the label? Take opportunities to show her words that have lettters in common. "Oh look, Kellogs starts with K,just like Katy. KKKK" That sort of thing.

She needs to be able to write at least the first few letters of her name and know what those letters are but do not expect perfection. Provide fat pencils and unlined paper to start. When she has that under control move to paper with wide lines.

Read to her-a lot! Sometimes as you read run your finger under the lines of type from left to right. If the story repeats the same word on almost every page point out the word. Ask her to tell you the story in her own words, and encourage her to "read" a familiar story to a doll or stuffed animals.

Stay away from workbooks and coloring books. They do little to help a child of her age learn, stifle creativity, and can be quite frustrating. Instead, let her draw and color a picture and dictate the story so you can write it down. Use simple print and make the letters larger than print.

Buy her a set of those old fashioned wooden alphabet blocks, the ones that are cubes. Post an alphabet chart at her eye level and let her explore it on her own.

Most of all, make sure that she thinks learning is fun and that she meets with success early on. That will let her enter kindergarten ready and eager.

Answer 6

Can put on coat hat boots mittens
Can use zipper buttons snaps learning to tie shoes
Uses bathroom w/o assistance and w/o accidents
Willing to share with others has age appropriate social skills
Has basic manners please an d thank you etc.
Cooperates with children and adults.
Yes I am special, but so is everyone else
We work TOGETHER because everyone matters not just me.
(Sorry but a lot of Kindergarten kids do NOT learn this anymore!!)
Takes care of her personal needs such as toileting and using Kleenex.
Self Care and Getting along are In My Opinion
the most important skills to bring to school
Without them teaching and learning are a constant battle.

Don't say I CAN'T unless you've you've tried it
then don't cry ask for help

Can hold and use crayons pencil scissors
Can identify red orange yellow green blue and purple
Knows basic shapes circle square rectangle triangle oval diamond star
Can count up to 10 objects or more
Counts up to 20 or higher
Sings simple songs
Can recite alphabet and recognize most letters
Knows the letters in her name
Can write her name even if it is backwards or mixes small and large letters.

You don't have to make her sit all day
She can learn most of this playing
except for the writing.
She can learn letters off signs food labels magazines etc.
Colors from food, toys clothes etc
numbers from setting the table counting toys and dolls etc.
KEEP IT FUN!!

Answer 7

In preschool we tend to work on the following:

Appropriate tripod grasp of markers, pencils etc
Cutting appropriately with scissors on the line
Coloring in the Lines
Receptive & Expressive ID of ABC's
Receptive & Expressive ID of Numbers 1-50 (depending upon your state)
Simple math (addition, subtraction)
Prepositions
Sight Words

Make sure you find fun ways to implement these things. Use side walk chalk for writing, fingerpaint....you don't want to discourage your child and preschoolers love messes. Be sure to read to your child also. Reading promotes a much wider range of vocabulary than television or radio offers. Also work on recalling information from stories and having your child tell you about their day or something you did together. This will help your child work on sequencing and articulation!

Its such an enjoyable time....they are so fun!

Here are some great websites that offer preschool themes and lesson plans:

perpetualpreschool.com
lessonplanspage.com
primarygames.com
atozkidsstuff.com
everythingpreschool.com

Hope these help!

Answer 8

There are 2 extremely important things. First, READ to your daughter daily!!! She will learn a love of reading from you! The second most important thing to teach your child is how to interact with other children. She will be used to interacting with other kids and will not feel like you are 'leaving' her and never coming back.

Going over the ABCs, the numbers, shapes, colors are good, but make sure you do the first 2 things. It will give her a head start. Most important, read, read, read, read!

Answer 9

I am a veteran kindergarten teacher who has just opened a website for parents of children ages birth to five. It is called www.wigglegigglelearn.com. Come over to the site and look under the tab INFORMED PARENT on the navigation bar. You will see all of the skills that are expected before entering kindergarten. I invite you and your friends to also sign up while you are there. If you have any questions about the skills or other questions about kindergarten, I would be more than happy to answer them.

Answer 10

Preschool isn't a requirement, but in school children get accustomed to the classroom setting, learn to interact with other children and also learn basic behavioral skills. As a kindergarten teacher, I put my time into the basics: reading, writing, math, etc, so instead of focusing on that, try a different approach. Prep her on good manners (please&thank you are a must!), and encourage good study skills like reading everyday and integrating learning into life (good examples: asking her to count her toys, showing her different types of animals in the zoo, pointing out the continents while watching television, etc.) As always, teach her to share, respect you (and eventually her teacher), and to be social and have fun!