The ABC’s of Kindergarten Readiness
daughter off to kindergarten,
we were prepared.
We had shopped together
for a list of supplies a mile long.
We bought the cutest shoes and
clothes, sharpened her pencils,
readied the box of 100 crayons,
picked a great spot for that allimportant
first day photo. But
most importantly, we prepared
her emotionally.
Times have changed from when
the majority of us went to kindergarten
in the 1970s. Then, most
programs were half-day. Children
didn't eat lunch in the cafeteria
and interaction with the older
kids at school was minimal. We
weren't expected to know our letters
and numbers. We went to
school to play with blocks, to
color and paint, and to learn how
to get along with our peers.
Today's children have much
greater expectations placed upon
them. Today, there are expectations
not only about academic
readiness, but social readiness,
fine motor skills, and language
development. Kindergartens now
provide a greater coordination of
services, including special assistance
to help a child function on
the same level as his peers. The
coordination implies that more
services are available and these
often do not involve the traditional
"pull-out" model. Instead,
a therapist frequently comes into
the classroom to work with one
or a group of students. Several
therapists may join forces to
implement a plan for a child.
In the 1970s, few children
received services. Today, it’s
common. Children receive reading
assistance; speech and language
therapy; occupational therapy
to address fine motor, balance
or sensory issues; physical therapy
for gross motor difficulties; and
counseling for emotional issues.
Others may require a combination
of services to address attention
issues or more intense global
delays. Some children need nursing
services to address severe
asthma, diabetes, feeding or allergy
issues, or paralysis. In addition,
many children receive private
therapy and educational services
outside the school system.
Years ago, these children would
not have been in a typical kindergarten
class. Today many are.
In my practice, I see children
with a wide range of developmental
issues. I teach parents to advocate
for their children. As parents,
we must speak up if something
doesn't seem right. We
need to know what services are
available, and to know how to
access and use them. Parents need
to treat any issues which may arise
just as you would a reading or
math problem.
So many differences exist
between preschool and kindergarten!
Bend down on your knees
and look up at another adult.
How large and looming does he
seem? This is your child's perspective.
There are big kids all
around and lots of them. Look at
your child, who seemed so big
and grown up yesterday. Place
him in this new setting and suddenly
he seems so small! When
my second daughter went to
kindergarten, she was terrified.
This despite the fact that she had
been driving there with her sister
and me twice a day for four years!
She had helped in the classroom,
she knew half of the students and
most of the teachers, and she
could probably guide a new parent
around the school. But the
idea of actually going to school as
a student suddenly made the
whole place seem different.
Size is an issue. Not just your
child's size, but building size,
class size, even the size of the
steps and the playground.
Elementary schools are extremely
large compared with most nursery
school settings. They may
have been expanded over time,
resulting in a building that often
feels like a maze. While most
nursery school programs limit
class size to fewer than 15 children,
kindergartens contain up to
25 children.
The expectations placed upon
your child will be different from
those at preschool. Staff will
expect your child to find his way
around the building, use the
bathroom independently, remember
his belongings, and listen.
After all this learning, a kid
could use a break. Lunch and
recess sound like fun, but remember:
Your child will generally be
left to manage on his own here.
Can he open all the packages you
send in his lunch box? Will he eat
your choices of food? Do the
school's dietary rules limit choices
dramatically (without peanut
butter, our daughter had almost
nothing to eat). How about
recess? Your child's school may
mix several grades on the playground
or in the school gym at
recess time. This alone can create
anxiety for a young child. Now
consider the child who doesn't
know many of the other kids.
There are tactics you can use to
help your child adjust. Help her
plan a meeting place with friends
in other classes. Visit the playground
before school starts, and
help her feel confident on the
equipment. Discuss how to handle
the inevitable playground
conflicts.
Your child may ride the school
bus or be in a carpool for the first
time. For some children this is the
most exciting part of the day, but
for others it is terrifying. You may
be required to drop off and pick
up at a designated entrance rather
than walk your child to his classroom.
Will this be tough for him
(or for you)?
What is expected of kindergartners
will vary from school to
school, but here are some general
guidelines:
ATTENTION SPAN: Schools
look for children to be able to listen
to a story without interrupting
and to complete a brief, adultdirected
activity.
ACADEMICS: Many schools
encourage familiarity with concepts
such as understanding of
the general time of day; identification
of beginning sounds of
words and letters of the alphabet;
recognition of his name and simple
rhyming patterns; counting to
10; and sorting similar objects by
color, shape and size.
FINE AND GROSS MOTOR
SKILLS: Kindergartners should
demonstrate hand dominance, be
able to copy simple shapes, cut
with scissors, color beyond scribbling,
and bounce and catch a
ball.
Back-to-School
The ABCs of Preparing for
Kindergarten
continued on next page
SELF-HELP SKILLS: Children
should be able to manage buttons,
zippers and basic clothing
items, as well as their own bathroom
needs.
UNDERSTANDING AND USE
OF LANGUAGE:
Kindergartners should speak in
complete sentences using five to
six words, appropriate sentence
structure, and age-appropriate
articulation skills.
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
AND READINESS: A
child ready for kindergarten
should separate easily from her
caregiver; recognize authority;
share with others; and follow
rules.
Some schools have created
screening programs, a time for
the kindergarten teachers to get a
general sense of who is entering
the school and what their particular
needs may be. Screenings help
the teachers identify children with
undetected needs who may
require additional services; they
can then balance kindergarten
classes with different personality
types and energy levels. During
screenings, children generally
meet other incoming kindergartners,
draw a picture, play with
blocks, and listen to a story. They
have a chance to see an actual
classroom and some of the activities
that go on in them. Other
staff (such as a speech therapist,
occupational therapist, or psychologist)
may use this time to
observe or work directly with the
children.
So this brings us to the big
question. What can I do to help
my child get ready?
• Prepare. Buy the supplies recommended
by the school, using
this as an opportunity to create
excitement for your child. Spend
time talking about school, but
don't belabor it. Read stories
about children starting kindergarten.
Relate your own personal
memories.
• Play with your child. Help him
to develop the play skills that
can't necessarily be taught, such
as sharing and turn taking. Do
this with children you know and
with new children from your
child's class. Play games — sing
the alphabet song, go on letter
hunts, count everything in sight,
practice sorting.
• Visit your child's school. Meet
the teacher, see her classroom,
lunchroom and bathrooms, play
on the playground.
• Strive for age-appropriate independence.
Teach your child to put
on his own coat and shoes. Shop
for clothing that is easy for your
child to manage alone.
Does it matter where you’ve
sent your child to preschool?
Some preschools focus more on
academic readiness than others.
However, Michelle Forzaglia, a
kindergarten teacher in Rye
Brook, notes that differences created
by schooling balance out
fairly quickly. Initially, children
may come into school with a different
knowledge base, but very
quickly, the children who are
ready begin to soak up the academic
opportunities offered.
Those who are not quite ready
will need more time. For these
children, it won't matter where
they went to preschool. Some
schools focus more on social preparedness.
Kindergarten has
greater expectations in this area,
so having had previous opportunities
to gain these skills will help
your child adjust more quickly.
But if your child's program did
not focus on these areas, many of
these skills can be learned outside
school.
Participating in general structured
programs provides children
with opportunities for obtaining
and practicing important social
skills they will later need in
school. Depending on the type
of class, children may work on
attention, fine motor, gross
motor, or language skills. Just
through general play, children are
learning about their world and
practicing their social and language
skills. On the playground,
they improve gross motor skills.
Drawing on the sidewalk or at the
kitchen table exercises fine motor
and creativity. Building with
blocks addresses all these areas,
plus spatial relations and eye-hand
coordination.
Finally, don't forget about your
feelings as a parent in the midst of
this process. Some parents take
pride in their child's accomplishments
and this very obvious and
important step in their growth.
Others, while not negating the
positive, may feel sad. This is a
big step for your child. She is no
longer a baby, a toddler, or even a
preschooler, and she may let you
know this and expect new, more
grownup treatment. How do you
feel about this? Don't hide from
your feelings; acknowledge them
to yourself and your friends and
you'll be surprised how many
people feel similarly. If you look
around, you probably aren't the
only parent who’s following the
school bus!
LAUREN ROSE, L.C.S.W.-R., is a social
worker with a practice focusing on
counseling of children and families in
Rye, NY. She has two daughters, entering
the first and fifth grades, and twin
boys beginning preschool. She
Blog Post Title Four
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