Simple Ways to Help Your Child Get Ready for Kindergarten

As parents, we all worry if our children are ready and well prepared to face the challenges as they enter Kindergarten. If you have been working on the basics with your children, there should be no need to stress over this situation. I have found that if you play simple, fun games and activities with your preschooler they learn better and enjoy this fun and exciting way to get ready for Kindergarten.

Getting Our Son Ready for School

Being married to a Kindergarten teacher, I had it pretty easy getting my oldest son ready to enter his first year of school. My husband taught me how to make simple, everyday activities into games to help our son learn his ABC's, numbers, colors, and shapes. I also picked up a few ways around the house to help him learn other valuable skills such as cutting, coloring, and sorting. His little brother, who is only three, is already picking up a lot of these same skills by playing along too. By participating in these simple, fun games and activities, I have no doubt that my boys will be ready and well prepared to enter Kindergarten.

Here are some easy games and activities you can play to get your preschooler ready for Kindergarten:

• ABC Game - Learning our ABC's has been a great car game. We would state the letter, ask the sound it makes, and ask for a word that starts with that letter. My youngest son loves animals so he has mastered every letter of the alphabet with a different animal.
• Numbers Game - Ask them to count everything out. For example, when handing out goldfish as a snack ask them to count out 10 goldfish to put in their snack bowl.
• Colors Game - Another car game we love is to pick out a color for the day and find that color of car. For example, whoever found a yellow car would yell out "Bingo!" Believe me this one is quite contagious and you will find yourself playing even when the kids are not in the car.
• Shapes - Pick out a shape for the day and point out every object that you see which is that day's shape. You will be surprised when your child starts pointing out these objects before you even get a chance.
• Cutting Skills - Even though it is scary to hand your child a pair of scissors, this is a skill they must master before they enter Kindergarten. We started out drawing shapes out on paper and telling them to cut on the dotted lines. My oldest son loves to use scissors so I even let him help me cut coupons on Sunday mornings. At his parent/teacher conference, his teacher pointed out that his cutting skills were one of the best in the class.
• Coloring - My oldest son does not enjoy coloring at all and definitely does not stay inside the lines. Still we try to work on this everyday and tell him its great to be creative but not to scribble all over the page. Try to find coloring books or printables on the Internet in subjects or even cartoon characters that your child is interested in to increase their willingness to stay inside the lines.
• Sorting - We play all kinds of games dealing with sorting. If my boys have a package of M&Ms, they will sort them into colors. If I am getting ready to do laundry, I will ask them for help to sort the clothes into whites and colors.

Every parent should relax and have fun playing these games and activities with their children. If you make learning fun and exciting, the child is much more willing to participate in the learning process.

Remember all children are different so be creative and come up with similar games that work for them. Find things that they enjoy and tailor the games and activities around those items. If you take the time to find simple, fun ways to help your child in the learning process, he or she will be ready and well prepared to enter that most exciting first year of school - Kindergarten!