Kindergarten Readiness and Social Skills (with Ladybugs)

Although graduation comes years after parents first think about kindergarten readiness, did you know that new research is showing once kids graduate their social skills have a greater influence on later income than academic achievement? (Institute for Social Research) Most important, the peak time for the brain to learn those social skills is during early childhood, from 0 to 6 years old.

A fun book to read to your child about manners and social skills is The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. Two ladybugs meet one morning on a leaf. One of them is friendly and uses polite words. The other is not only grouchy and doesn’t like to share but wants to fight everybody, including a whale! The end of the whale is almost the end of the bug.

Sharing is one of the first social skills that children learn. Just like a coin, sharing has two sides. Children need to learn how to share with others and they need to learn how to ask others to share with them. This little story can help you as you encourage your child to use basic social skills. In this video below, the reader uses different voices for the bugs. Just by listening, kids can pick up clues about feelings from how the bugs talk. Unlike the leopard, the grouchy ladybug does change his spots. Is this a useful story for you and your child?

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