I have a classroom blog that I am planning to post a list of things the kids should know before starting kindergarten. I know that many parents will poke around on the school website and will see my blog (it says Mrs.- Kindergarten Blog). I want to post a list of things they can work on over the summer to prepare for kindergarten. Please look over my list and tell me what you think. :thanks: Things to know before kindergarten: ~ How to write your name with only the first letter capital (Anna instead of ANNA) ~ How to count to 10 or more ~ Recognize and name all colors ~ Be able to follow simple 3 step directions ~ Dress and undress without assistance ~ Recognize 10+ letters, recognize all letters in your name ~ Be able to make it through the school day without napping ~ Recognize most numbers 1-10 ~ Know your parent/guardian name/s and other family members who live with you ~ Be able to turn the pages of a book one at a time ~ Be able to sit for a story for a minimum of 15 minutes
Hi I'm not a kindergarten teacher, but I did want to let you know that I think it is wonderful that you have a list for parents! I wish I would've known what the kinder kids were expected to know before they entered. In the school district that I live in they had nothing available except a little sheet that said read to your child and practice rhyming words before kindergarten. I found out months later when my son was in kindergarten that kinder is the new first grade, so they did expect a lot of the kids already when they entered. Kudos to you for putting a list together and putting it on a blog for the parents!
I think your list is a great idea. I agree with them all! I think I would add being able to rhyme words. I noticed that my lowest students had difficulty with this skill. It would be wonderful if all your students came in prepared. Good luck.
:lol: it is my WISH list. The parents that take the time to look for it were probably already doing the things they needed to. I agree with the rhyming words, the kids that knew how to rhyme from the beginning were much better at reading and writing.
Thanks for posting...knew most as well!!! Agree with the rhyming words. Just wondering why you think they should only know 10 + letters of alphabet or letters in their name and should know all the colors (agree) but recognize all the color names. Unless these are done in the same colors seems a little odd. Just my opinion.
We also want our students to know their address and phone number (mainly for safety) and use scissors with some accuracy. Every year I tell the parents at orientation and I always have at least one who comes up and tells me they have never let their child cut before out of fear. Oh, and we also ask that our students know some letter sounds.
I mean that they can look at a color and name it, not that they can read the name of the color in print. Some kids can point to a color if you say "point to the red square" and I want them to say that it is red. I hope that makes sense.
Be able to sit first! Then realize they must participate in story time. Be able to sit for story. Raise hand if you want to say something. Be able to recall something about the story.
K list I have been stewing this over....since I saw the thread start. Should I say this or not. I talked with some of the k teachers at my school about the idea. So, I am just going to put it out there.... What about something regarding restroom etiquette? I was thinking more along the lines as far as behavior, flushing, washing hands, and that sort of thing. A couple of teachers (k) that I work with even mentioned some of the students coming in not being appropriately potty trained.hmy: Not sure how to put this on a list you give parents or if you even want to, there has to be a way to word it....your thoughts? :unsure:
Agree...we do think about the classroom, but this is pretty darn important. Especially in keeping kids healthy. I know some will have accidents, but mainly the handwashing & what not should be well rehearsed as well!!!
I thought about it too. One of the lists I looked at when I started mine said: Student is able to care for self in restroom in a sanitary manner. I didn't include it, but the list I posted has already changed lots of times due to suggestions and re-wording. I may add that since I know at least one student last year started school wearing a pull-up.
Yes! We've had children who wanted us to wipe them after using the restroom!!! EKK! I'm loving the idea of listing these things on your blog! I'm going to list them on a website I'm starting!!! Keep the lists coming!
Yeah, that's a whole new area... literally... I think alot depends on whether or not they have had preschool or some socialization activities, play dates, park district, library programs, etc. It stands to reason that if you had a school setting, the child is exposed to bathroom routines, and I would name them in order: Waiting and walking in line Understanding there is one for Girls/Boys - and don't venture into other If you have one in your room, put a Stop Sign on door knob, and do not enter unless it is Green undressing, tolieting = doing number one and two - alone/without sharing details wiping! ugh...yes, some may have had help from parents & pre-k teachers flushing. period...must do this (I think the boys urinals don't have to flush? ) .maybe that is why some boys/men think toliets flush themselves..? WASHING YOUR HANDS - this must be practiced over and over whether you have school soap, or make parents bring Soft Soap sing ABC's scrub under nails, get ONE paper towel, and toss and you know, Delosa-Carson has a cute poster on this. Or you can be creative and make your own! You will still have accidents, sometimes up to 2nd grade :unsure: Some schools allow extra clothes, some send child to nurse, and others just call parents. I think for my sanity, I would invest in a few pairs of extra childrensclothes, write 'em off on my taxes, and tell the child to change himself. Keep tons of plastic grocery bags. Have them toss soiled clothes in bag. They must be responsible for their own dirty laundry, or they won't get the idea! And if parents come and they get upset because of your fashion sense, let them! You have an obligation to a healthy and happy classroom. A child who has 'the runs' is not happy and neither are you if they have to sit there waiting for someone! Find your school policy now, and decide whether or not you will bend some rules. Some won't even allow you to spray Lysol. I got the Airwick automatic spray! Just for that reason! Within the first week, you will get a whiff of who needs help. I say ask them first, they follow up with phone call home. And get those extra clothes ready!
I would suggest ways for the parents to practice some of this. Junior might sit real well (15 minutes even!) for dinner, bedtime stories, or a tv show, but this does not show ability to sit attentively in a group for 15 minutes. Visit the library story hour, wait in a long line at the grocery store w/o promising a treat, work on a drawing alone, etc. Label things around the house - door, chair, table, etc. and have you child practice spelling them with you. I don't have many other ideas tonight, but I like the list ... maybe link some websites with good activities and specify that 20 minutes a day is more than plenty (novelty will wear off...not to mention that it's not good to spend lots of screen time).
Have we discussed mealtime manners? Most kdg programs have a snack or lunch period. Whether children bring their own meal, or have school meal, they need to get ready for the 'big school cafteria'! They need to know how to walk in line. SIT down when they eat. I know, this is common sense, but many parents allow their kids to stand, run, scream and talk with their mouth full. Just visit your local restarurant...and I don't mean McDonald's :help: They need to know where to line up to go outside for recess or, where to line up to come back in class. Children need to know how to open their own snacks and drinks. So many parents send whole oranges, and I refuse to peel them! I can't! And I don't like keeping knives around unless I use them for a project. It just continues the habit if you cut them. Make sure child can finish meal, so it is not wasted. Make sure it is something child will eat, because you will not (well, you probably will ) have extras, and they will go hungry. They will need to learn lunch code, or use lunch card. You need to send home lunch forms, and parents must send money. This seems to be a effort in futility. Don't get caught up into buying lunches because parents forget. They need to eat the bland 'free lunch' so they can be upset, go home and tell parents to fill out form or send money! They need to learn how to clean up after themselves. And put away containers and lunchboxes. Everything must be labeled! Be preapred for accidents. Leaks, whole lunches ruined. Tops that come off. Identifying mystery food that rolls out of bags. If it is cookies, everyone will claim it! Kleptomania is rampant when kids bring Lunchables. Have a rule about not sharing, taking any food! I have issues about kids trying to take food home. It is warm in most classrooms, all year round. Warm on that bus, or sitting in the car. Food poisioning is no good!!! Have a rule that says if they don't finish it, it goes in garbage! They will try to sneak back and finish and they will get sick! And....Keep a stash of granola bars for emergencies.
For the bathroom thing, we request that all children be "completely indpendent in all aspects of bathrooming." Kim
I have to ask a question.... I know a child that is way beyond doing most of this stuff as a beginning Kinder...how would you address this. I mean I look at some of the stuff and think that's all they have to know?!?
Kindergartners come in on all levels! I will have a few that will come in reading and we sill start guided reading with them within a few weeks (as soon as centers are flowing well) and I do a guided math group as well that lets kids get differentiated instruction. Some kids (and parents) will be surprised ny the list and the kids won't be able to more than half. Half the class will not be able to write their name in a recognizable way or be able to count past 5. I am always shocked when I think about it and how far they have to go to get into first grade - and most of them do. This is why I think that kindergarten is the hardest grade to teach. There is no minimum for starting kindergarten, we get them all and they are all in one class.
I wasn't knocking your list...I know the struggles. I was a first grade teacher and dealt with the many levels from those who even in first grade didn't know the letter their last name started with to a student reading in about 3rd grade level at the beginning of school!!!!
This is what we would LOVE for them to know! Many will come in with more skills and MANY will come in with way less. If you know kids who can do this, then they are set and will do well. They will be flexed out once they arrive, but this is just a dream for most kids. Kindergarten does really get the kids ready for school in ways that people who do not teach kindergarten can never understand.
I agree with that as well... I did student teaching in the fall in K!!! I think there's a lot all teachers go through, but I think K & 1st are really tough especially if there isn't the support at home!!!
Strange as it seems, a little unknown law says parents in many states don't have to send kids to school until age 7. So that wonderful child you are referring to is the exception rather than the norm, IMO... Some attend preschool/head start/child care. Many stay at home, some stay with friends or family members. It's not ALL they need to know, but a bare minimum, for safety, cooperation, socialization, and learning to take place.
I may add...the Powers That Be, some parents, and textbook publishers also seem to think that 'readiness skills', and 'academic readiness' should take place in preschool! And we all should be working together to get kids ready for reading...ready for kindergarten! Preschool kids need to have fun! The need rest! They need to explore. they need socialization!! Preschool is school, but kindergarten, IMO..is the place to get ready for elementary school!! The day I enter preschool/head start/child care, and my director hands me a language arts book and/or math book, and tells me I must do 30 minute lessons daily, and play time will be eliminated or shortened... is the day I retire from the field of early childhood.. :soapbox:
Thank you all for making me feel good as a parent. My son will be entering Kindergarten in the fall and I know he can do all those things. I worry because he's an August baby and literally makes the cut off by 1 week.
Kinder teachers (and pre-K ones, too!) have to be skilled at differentiating work for kids on a wide range of skill levels and abilities. The ones I know who end up leaving that age group are those that struggle with this. I know teachers of all age groups have to adjust work to meet a range of needs, but I strongly believe that no other grade has quite the wide range of diversity that the early childhood grades have. I teach Pre-K (but have taught K, first, and second in the past), and each year, I have a few kids start with me that don't even KNOW their real name, and can't count orally to 2. I am not exaggerating. And then I also have a few start every year that can read basic texts, probably on a mid-first grade level. And my goal is to have each child learn something new each and every day.
"The day I enter preschool/head start/child care, and my director hands me a language arts book and/or math book, and tells me I must do 30 minute lessons daily, and play time will be eliminated or shortened... is the day I retire from the field of early childhood.." Don't walk into any PreK room in my district, then, MPK. We were told last year that outdoor play is optional in PreK programs, and if we get them outside once a month, we should be happy. Snack is now optional. They can eat at home, "they" said. (remember, mine is a program for low-income kids, so what sort of things they are eating at home, or even if they ARE eating at home, is sometimes unclear). And, yes, we have language arts curriculum guides (no texts for kids yet), and math guides...even an "arts" curriculum guide. Center time, or "play time" used to be given a full hour a day, even in the half day programs. Now, we are scheduled for 20 minutes, and honestly, we don't even get that on some days. The only thing that makes it work is that they have recently rolled back the birthday cutoff, and our kids are now a little older and able to deal with the situation a little bit better. Kim
Master, I am with you 100%! We have had to push academics WAY too much! It is not developmentally appropriate for these kids to do many things that we ask of them. I am lucky to have a principal that understands that.
You're lucky. I know when I taught 1st day 1 teacher meeting super. said if it's not on a test (meaning state test) don't teach it. Oops I guess that silly dance we did to get our wiggles out was wrong to teach!!!
sigh...kim..I feel bad...and I really want to reconsider my options when I hear about programs like yours! I know we all do what we do, but when I interview, I tell directors about my philosophy of education. If I miss their mission statement, I will feel it that first week. I may stick around for awhile, but it isn't fair to me or the kids if I don't believe in what I am doing.
OMG... that leaves out art science social studies gym music CREATIVITY,, self-expression, gross motor movement, exploration living? :unsure: No, no... I know what you can do! Close that door and improvise! But write in your lesson plan... TPR - Shake Your Sillies Out Total Physical Response = teaching strategy Teacher will have students act out meaning of spelling words, using story dictation and dramatization for better visualization of definitions and understanding words used in context. Students will say words, write words, and thenperform an action so the class can determine which word they are using. :lol:
Funny stuff! I'm so copying and pasting most of these lists with a little tweaking to include on my website if I ever get it going!!! These are great!
Hi I was thinking that if you put following multi step oral directions on your K readiness blog, that you could tell the parents how to practice this with their children. I hope this helps. I wish I would have practiced these games with my son BEFORE he entered kindergarten, but I didn't know all of this at that time. Anyway, here are some games to help with following directions.... The following games are from Upside-Down Brilliance by Dr. Silverman ""We asked Cody's Mom, 'What did you do to help his auditory processing since we saw you last?" She replied that every day she gave Cody instructions and had him repeat them to her. Sometimes she did this twice a day. She made sure she had eye contact with him first. Magic! I retested Cody myself six months later on the old Stanford-Binet, because it looked like we still had an underestimate (not because of auditory processing issues, but because the ceiling of the first test was too low). Not only did he achieve an astronomical IQ score, his greatest strength was in auditory short-term memory! That convinced me that auditory issues could be remediated, so I put together a list of activities to assist parents and teachers in developing auditory-sequential memory. I started with a game that my parents used to play with us as kids on car trips. Do you remember I'm Going on a Picnic"? I'm Going on a Picnic The first person says, "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm going to bring an ____________." (e.g. apple, armadillo, albatross, etc.--anything that begins with "a"). The second person repeats what the first person says and adds something that begins with the letter "b" (e.g., "I'm going on a picnic, and I'm going to bring an apple and a banana"). The next person repeats what the first and second person have said, and adds something that begins with the letter "c". The game continues until no one can remember all of the previous items. The alphabet provides a memory clue. When the children can remember all 26 words, vary the game by removing the alphabetical order, using various categories of words or any nouns. This is a good game for a classroom, since it can be played with any number of players. It is also great for families to play in the car. Invent similar games. Silly Steps Each day each member of the family gets to give one of the others a set of silly directions to follow. Begin with two-step directions, such as, "Go get a spoon from the kitchen and bring it back to me on your head." Gradually increase the number of directions, elaboration of the directions, and complexity, such as "Bring me the ruler in the back of the third drawer of my desk, come back into the kitchen, and turn around three times." When the child succeeds, he or she gets to ask you to follow a silly set of directions. Repeating Instructions When giving your child or a student in your class directions, have him or her look at you and repeat what you just said. Do this on a daily basis (as Cody's mom did). Cumulative Verse Songs Sing songs that involve repeating previous verses, such as "Old Mac Donald Had a Farm," "The Twelve Days of Christmas," "There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," "The green Grass Grows All Around, " etc. Gong on a Lion Hunt (or Bear Hunt) The leader chants each line, which is then repeated (R) by the group while walking in place and alternatively slapping knees in cadence. There are movements that accompany each section. "Let's go on a lion hunt." (R). "OK!" (R) "Here we go!" (R) (Start walking action.) "Oh look!" (R) "There's a gate." (R) "Can't go around it." (R) "Can't go under it." (R) "Have to go through it." (R) (Opening gate with creaking motion.) This sequence continues with each obstacle in their path. Next, the group encounters a bridge, a field, then some mud, then a river, then a cave. They see two eyes, a nose, and fur, and shout, "IT''S A Lion!" They walk very fast, pretending they are running, and then retrace their steps as quickly as they can, making the sounds that accompany each part and end with "Whew! We made it!" They have to remember the entire sequence in reverse order. There is a book available describing the activity as a bear hunt. New obstacles can be added as the children become proficient at it. (This came from a Girl Scout manual). Reversed Sentences Take turns saying sentences in reverse, starting with three or four word, gradually lengthening the sentences. Hand Motions Start with a simple set of hand motions, such as 2 claps, 2 finger snaps, 2 knee slaps. Have your child repeat these motions. Then have him or her make up a set for you to repeat. gradually increase the number and complexity of the hand motions. See and Say; Simon; Bop-It; Computer Sequencing Games There are a number of toys available that require a child to repeat a series of sounds, lights, numbers, directions, etc. Some games of this nature are available on the computer."
Great info. I have been teaching 4th grade for the past few years and will be returning to Kg. this fall. 15 years ago I taught Kg. for 3 years. Boy, has it changed. But, I also taught 1st for 5 years. It seems I will be using all that experience this year. I am really excited. Your list have reminded me of the necessary things I need to help my new little ones. Thanks for the list!
It is so amazing how far they go from entering Kindergarten to the end. I teach in a K-1 loop, so I get to see the growth from the beginning of K to the end of first. Wow! As I was cleaning out my files last week I came across their beginning of the year writing samples from Kindergarten. More than a few children just had squiggly lines instead of letters. It made me teary eyed thinking of where they are now. I find it is always a shock coming back from the end of first grade to the beginning of Kindergarten. I can only compare it to the feeling I got as a new mom. Okay, I've gotten off on a tangent here. Anyway, I think the list is a lovely idea, and I completely would agree that independent and proper bathroom use be included.
