What You (and Your Child) Should Know for Kindergarten and Beyond

(Family Features) Starting kindergarten is a major milestone, one that sets the stage for future learning. Ensuring children are well-equipped to enter kindergarten sets them up for a successful school year in the short term and academic career in the long term.

Kindergarten readiness encompasses a wide range of skills, including academic, social and physical abilities. Yet while many parents think of kindergarten as the formal start of their children’s learning, 90% of children’s brain development occurs during the first five years of life.

The brain is incredibly receptive during these formative years, making it a critical time for children to receive exposure and guidance in diverse areas. Enrolling them in a quality preschool or pre-K program is one way you can ensure they’re creating building blocks for the future, but there are also steps you can take at home.

Try implementing these simple habits, recommended by Primrose Schools Chief Early Learning Officer Dr. Amy Jackson, into your family’s day-to-day routine:

• Read to your children daily to build early literacy skills. This is a good habit to begin as early as infancy because it promotes language development, literacy and understanding of others. Make library trips and story times a special treat for toddlers and encourage preschoolers to read to you by describing what is happening in the pictures or making up their own stories. Keep books in the car so you have a fun way to pass the time on long trips or while waiting for appointments.

• Schedule playdates for social development. Once babies are able to sit independently, they’ll likely enjoy playdates. At this age, playdates should be closely monitored since babies explore with their hands and mouths. At ages 1 and 2, young children tend to engage in parallel play rather than interacting, but organizing small groups of toddlers can continue to promote social development. Older toddlers enjoy more interactive play and begin to learn concepts like sharing.

• Practice counting objects to 10 or more together. It’s easy to make “math talk” part of your everyday experience in other ways, too. When reading a story, ask children to count the objects on each page. When eating, encourage math connections by having children count the items on their plates. Children can also explore math through common toys and games, like shape sorters, knob puzzles and nesting cups for infants and toddlers; and large puzzles, sand or water tables and card games for preschoolers.

• Encourage physical activities like playing on the playground. Play isn’t just for entertainment; it’s a building block for healthy growth. It helps children learn from the world around them and develop traits like generosity and honesty. Because it helps children release their full range of emotions and has therapeutic benefits, play also has positive effects on mental health. In addition to supporting their social-emotional well-being, children learn to navigate the world and practice motor skills while at play.

• Establish routines at home. A structured school day is filled with routines that provide familiarity and comfort. Routines can serve similar benefits at home by helping children clearly understand what is expected of them and when. A morning routine makes it easy to check the boxes as you prepare for the day and work to get out the door on time. An evening routine helps everyone settle down and prepare for a good night’s sleep. 

• Encourage self-regulation and social skills. Self-regulation is the ability to understand and manage your own behavior and reactions, often displayed during actions like taking turns, transitioning from one activity to another or cleaning up for dinner. Social skills include interaction and communication abilities like speech, body language and facial expressions, as well as the ability to play with others and make friends. As a parent, you can model these skills and play games that involve taking turns and cooperation. Playdates also help facilitate positive social experiences for children.