A quick understanding to know the beginning of the year expectations.

1. By Bill Cameron

2. Kindergarten is not
what it used to be.
Many parents remember kindergarten as a time
of finger-painting, playing with blocks and eating
graham crackers. While these activities still
have a place in the kindergarten classroom, a lot
has changed over the years. With increasing
numbers of children attending preschool and
schools across the nation instituting Pre-K and
full-day kindergarten programs, students are not
only entering kindergarten more prepared to
learn, but also have more time in which to do so.

3. Kindergarten is a much
more academically
rigorous environment than
many parents remember.
Your kindergartener will be learning much more
than how to share and use classroom materials.
Be prepared to see your child's reading skills
blossom and her mathematical mind challenged.
In addition to learning the alphabet and the
sounds of the letters, your child will learn to
recognize Sight Words, read books with
repetitive themes and even write down her own
thoughts. She'll also learn basic math skills,
including numeral and number recognition and
sorting, which serve as building blocks for later,
more complex math skills.

4. Academic skills are only
part of kindergarten
readiness.
Sure, it's great that your child knows the entire
alphabet, recognizes all the numbers up to 20
and can even read a little bit, but these skills are
of secondary importance in the eyes of many
kindergarten teachers. There are a number of
other readiness skills that will give your child a
leg up in the classroom.
Ask yourself the following questions to get a
better sense of your child's readiness:

5. Academic skills are only part of kindergarten readiness.
• Does my child have the oral communication skills to make her
needs/wants clearly understood?
• Can my child separate from me for hours at a time without distress?
• Is my child able to follow one- and two-step directions and adhere
to rules?
• Can my child sit still and pay attention for at least 10 minutes?
• Does my child get along well with other children? (i.e. Is he able to
cooperate? Does he hit, kick or bite?)

6. Academic skills are only part of kindergarten readiness.
• Does Is my child able to complete personal need tasks
independently or is she willing to try? (Can she button or snap her
pants? Zip her coat? Use the toilet without help? Wash her
hands?)
• Does my child know how to use crayons? A pencil? Scissors?
Allowing your child ample opportunity to explore and use supplies
during creative play better prepares them for the academic
requirements for school.
• Can my child state his full name, address and phone number?

7. Volunteering in the classroom isn't the only way you can help out.
Kindergarteners do a significant
amount of hands-on learning and
projects, meaning teachers often have
a lot of prep work and non-budgeted
expenses.
• provide the materials for a
project or sending in staples like re-
Many parents think the closable plastic bags, paper cups,
only way to help in their child's napkins or tissues can save a
classroom is to actually be in the teacher huge out-of-pocket
classroom helping out. I know expenses.
that many parents work and
aren't able to be there during the • cut out or assemble project
day. Luckily it's not the only way pieces at home.
you can offer assistance.

8. Learning is a full-time
endeavor and you are
your child's primary
teacher.
Learning doesn't begin at 7:45 and end at
2:45. Your child is going to learn a lot and be
exposed to new ideas in school, but at the end
of the day it's up to YOU to keep that learning
going. In fact, teachers rely on parents
reinforcing newly learned skills as a way to
promote ongoing scholastic success. Ask him to
share what he's learning with you and find ways
to extend that learning. It can be as simple as
finding books at the local library to explore a
topic deeper, playing a game of "Sorry" to help
him keep up on his counting skills or reading
with him daily.