I know it’s only July, but I think many parents are already thinking about September. For some parents, this coming September marks their first child going into Kindergarten. For others, it’s a middle child or the youngest child. No matter the situation, I don’t think anything can prepare parents for the emotions they face during those moments leading up to their child going into kindergarten. Will I cry? Will my child cry? Will they miss me? Will they be OK? They’re growing up so fast!
I’ve heard a number of stories from Kindergarten teachers about parents on the first day of school. Some parents can’t wait for their child to enter the classroom and other parents struggle to hold back the tears. Regardless of which category you fit into, and whether or not you feel prepared for your child to enter the classroom, there are some things that you can do to help your child feel prepared to enter the classroom.
This month’s website feature is a great resource for parents to use for equipping young minds. It’s also a place that teachers can go to gather different activities, worksheets, and games to help develop young minds.
ReadWriteThink is a great resource for finding things that you might need to get your child ready for the coming school year. Yes, this website has a plethora of other benefits for kids of all ages, but today I’m focusing on the Kindergarten aspect. In the right-hand corner of the menu bar, there is a button called Parent & Afterschool Resources. Underneath, there is an option for Kindergarten. This will bring you to a page with various activities.
There are Activities & Projects, Games & Tools, Printouts, Podcasts and much more. Here is just a sampling of things you might find. In the Activities & Projects category, there are pages of activities to choose from. Each activity is gauged for young minds. For example, one of the activities is called “Acting Out with Mother Goose". In this activity, the adult reads a story to the child. Together, they then make a script of that story to act out. The supplies are listed for you and there are step-by-step instructions of what to do.
In the Printout category, there are pages of alphabet books, number tracing, coloring pages, and literacy games. This is a great place to start if you are searching for some quiet and free activities to do with your child over the summer.
To be sure, this website is also great for teachers. The activities could be adapted to fit a large group or small group instruction. I don’t know about you, but having a lesson plan to build off of is lovely, instead of trying to create everything from scratch.
As you look ahead to the coming year, I hope you can feel encouraged. Kindergarten is an amazing step for your little ones. I hope you can find some resources on the ReadWriteThink website that will help you and your child to feel more prepared for the new adventure of Kindergarten.
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