I can’t quite believe that my son just turned 5 and will be starting kindergarten (or “Big School” as we call it) in the Fall. How did that happen? I’m not really worried about how he will deal with it, he seems to have developed a great ability to make new friends with ease wherever he goes and just survived a major daycare transition without a hiccup, but it marks the beginning of the big kid years for us and I don’t think I’m ready!
The early learning and development that take place in kindergarten are incredibly important. It’s not just about learning to read and count. Kids learn social skills and life skills such as discipline, motivation, and persistence. Most important of all, however, is that early learning can instill an appreciation of learning in a child and can build confidence in his or her ability to learn. Obviously, these are not things that your child is going to communicate directly with you (“What did you do today?” “Oh, I developed an incredible appreciation for the power of education, Mom, thanks for asking.” HA!), but there’s a great deal of evidence to support that a positive kindergarten experience can have a significant positive impact on a child’s later education and beyond. Kindergarten is also an important bridge between early childhood learning, whether this has been at home or in a preschool/daycare setting, and the primary grades of school.
Fall might seem far away, especially while there’s still so much snow on the ground, but it is time to get prepared! If your child will be turning 5 before September 1, 2020, then you should be thinking about getting him or her registered now. Idaho Falls School District 91 has a simple online registration process, and you can even upload your child’s birth certificate, proof of address, and immunization forms to the online system now to save you time later. Kindergarten Round Up takes place in the spring and is your opportunity to see the school and discuss anything that your child should work on over the summer. D91 has also developed some very helpful “learning targets” to help parents understand what their child should be able to do at each grade level according to the core standards in Idaho.
If you’re a working parent like me, then you might be freaking out a little bit about having the time to get your child “kindergarten ready,” but there’s no need! You can integrate early learning preparation into everything that you do:
- Read with your kids as much as you can. Reading aloud as a family instills a love of reading, expands vocabulary, and sparks imagination.
- Point out words and letters in the real world. My son is obsessed with street signs, for example, and takes pleasure in pointing out every yield, stop, and speed limit sign that he sees.
- Count things. Count food items as you serve them, count the number of steps you take, count blocks, count toes, count people. Count all the things!
- Practice holding writing implements by letting them play with crayons, markers, or chalk. Practice using kid-friendly scissors. Don’t impose any rules, but just let them experiment and guide them as needed.
If you want your child to get a jump start on school, D91 is also accepting applications for peer models for its preschool program, which serves children ages 3-5 with developmental delays. Overall, maintain a sense of play throughout and avoid adding any pressure. Don’t stress your child out about school by telling them they must learn how to do something. Kids all learn at their own rate and according to their own interests. My son can name all of the planets in the Solar System and explain the difference between a gas giant and an ice planet, for example, but he can’t yet write anything other than his name. Visit the school with your child, talk about school in a positive way, make sure you are up to date with all of the immunizations required, and get registered now! Learn more at www.ifschools.org.