Hi Moms! I have a bright, energetic 5 year old who is starting KG in South Jeffco this August. I am having a hard time figuring out what she should know by the start of school. We did not receive any info from the school, but I want her to be prepared. She knows how to write her first and last name, she knows her phone number, and we are working on her address. She knows how to count, but struggles with number recognition on paper. I am a stay at home mom, so I feel like I should prepare her for the start of school in any way I can. Any suggestions are welcome! Thanks so much!
You also might check out the book What Your Kindergartener Needs to Know by E.D. Hirsch. Of course it goes through an entire year but it might to know what you're shooting for. :0)
You didn't mention it, but it sounds like she knows colors and shapes? Those were the only things I thought of. When I was researching for our son, I found that the purpose of kindergarten is that the child have prior knowledge when they get to first grade. Meaning, they have no expectations of knowledge and will teach starting from the beginning. At the end of the school year, they should be prepared for first grade in that they have enough knowledge that when things are taught at a faster pace, they'll catch it because they've heard it before. Our son reviewed everything from kindergarten this last year before getting new information, although it did go faster. i.e. Two letters a day as opposed to one a day, etc. If your going to a private school, they may have more expectations, and you should call and ask. It sounds to me like your daughter is pretty well prepared. I'm impressed with her being able to write her first and last name. Our son didn't do that for a long time, and it certainly wasn't legible for a long time after that! Have fun with school!
Hi K., my daughter will be starting Kindergarten in August and her school gave her a handout on the things your child should know before coming to school. Some of these things are; Teach your child first and last name, address and phone number (sounds like she is doing good with that), she should know how to print her name using capital and lower case letters, know appropriate toilet habits etc. They also want your child to know most of these things; sharing, taking turns, listen to stories 3-10 min. without restlessness, use gramatically correct sentences, retell a story or poem in correct sequence, recognize numbers 1-10 and recite numbers to 20 etc. These are the basic things they think your child should know by the time they are 5 years old but understand every child is on a differen't level. It sounds like your daughter is off to a good start though and you shouldn't have any problems. Good luck with everything.
academically, kids will be all over the place - some will know how to read, some will know less than yours. Many kids will know all their letters, colors and numbers up to ten but I wouldn't worry if yours doesn't. More importantly, they should know how to take turns, share with others and understand the routine of the day. If it's full day kindergarten just talk about the flow of the day, having lunch there, play time, rest time, etc. If she hasn't been in preschool, talk about being with friends, listening to the teacher, story time. DON'T talk about missing you or home - don't set her up to have negative feelings. If she says something, remind her she will be busy having fun, playing and learning, and that you will be there at the end of every day to pick her up.
I'd advise you to look at the new Colorado draft standards for kindergarten for various subjects which can be found at:
http://www.cde.state.co.us/cdeassess/UAS/DraftStandards.html
These will form the basis for testing in the near future and can provide you with a sense of what schools in Colorado are required to teach/assess at each grade level.
I have a daughter going into 2nd grade, and a son going into kindergarten, also in South Jeffco. When I went to the kindergarten meetings, and what I saw with my daughter's class, is pretty much what everyone else has said. The thing that stuck out to me is independence with things like going to the bathroom, taking on and off coats (zippers too), taking on and off shoes, hanging up coats and back packs, things like this that you might help them with at home. The teachers really stressed that they can not help kids go potty. I am trying this summer to not remind my son all of the time to go potty, he never wants to stop what he is doing to do this, such a pain :) Anyway, hope this helps.
K.,
Relax! She's going to do fine. It sounds like she's got a great start. A lot of the kids that are starting don't even know that much!
When my daughter started Kindergarten, some knew more and some had no clue about any of that - the teachers (at least at our S. Jeffco school) are great about working with all levels.
Relax, enjoy your time with her - she's going to do great!
God Bless and have a wonderful week-
C.
