Message in a Backpack
Many preschoolers feel anxious about moving on to kindergarten. They worry that they won't have friends, won't like the teacher, will get lost, won't be able to do the work, and so on. Here are some tips for guiding your child through the move from preschool to Kindergarten.
When asked about school readiness skills, many teachers say children who succeed in kindergarten know when and how to control their impulses. They can follow through when a task is difficult and listen to directions for a few minutes. This sheet can help parents get their child ready for kindergarten.
Many of a child's daily activities- like getting dressed, eating and writing- require control of small muscles in the hand. Such skills are called fine motor skills. When children have opportunities to practice these skills, they can do more for themselves. The activities listed on these pages can fine tune a child's fine motor skills.
Our classroom is a busy place where your preschooler is learning all sorts of things, social and emotional skills such as how to express feelings and how to work together with classmates on projects. This is a good introduction to a new preschool class.
Teachers can hand this out to parents. It has several games that parents can play with their children while waiting in a car, in line at a store, etc.
Preschoolers love to sing, make music and move to the beat. They feel competent when they learn a new song, powerful when they pound a drum or shake a tambourine, and proud when they invent a new dance. These are some ways for parents to encourage their child's love of music at home.
Early experiences in sorting and classifying help young children notice how how things are alike and different. They will apply this understanding when learning math skills in the primary grades. Here are some ways you and your child can sort and classify at home.
Exploring the world of science with your child. Preschoolers have an insatiable need to explore and understand things that adults might overlook. As Rachel Carson says, children need an adult who can share this joy of discovery with them. You can help your child by sharing the joy of discovering science at home and in your neighborhood. This handout will give parents activities to do with their child to bolster their love of science.
We believe that exuberant, boisterous, rough-and-tumble play supports preschoolers' development. Energetic big body play lets children use language, understand cause and effect and learn how to negotiate, take turns, compromise and make and follow rules. Vigorous big body play is a great way to support physical development. Because children enjoy it so much, they tend to play for a long time.
Spending time outdoors with your children is important for their development. This sheet gives parents some fun outdoor activities to do with their children.
We're going on a field trip can be used to inform parents in detail of upcoming field trips.
A guide for parents to support their children's learning. The guide will teach parents to listen, talk and answer. Listen to your child's story about their day, talk about their day and answer their questions.
Sometimes children have problems getting along with others or following our few simple classroom rules. When this happens we work with the child to find a solution. Here are some ways parents can do this at home as well.
