Kindergarten Readiness

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack Monster Craft

Remember reading and talking about the monster in the backpack last week? That was so much fun, here’s a kindergarten readiness craft activity to create a backpack monster. Materials needed are any wonderful odd bits and treasures from the recycling. Monsters can be made from practically anything and put together in lots of different ways.

Doing crafts with little ones is not always easy. At the very least, it is not usually an activity that kids can do by themselves. Instead, it requires adult supervision and time. Nevertheless, making crafts helps with readiness for kindergarten because children learn to plan, organize and follow directions.  The projects encourage creativity and give kids a sense of accomplishment. Children love to create. In the process, they use lots of thinking skills such as making decisions, problem solving, choosing, comparing, and evaluating. Their little hands practice all kinds of fine motor control as they cut, color, and glue. Their little hands and hearts get to feel proud of their work.

Instead of the monster, this time it’s the kids eating up all kinds of learning. Does your monster have any comments?

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack Masterpiece

Pablo Picasso once said “It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” Paintbrushes and colors are often favorites of children and painting activities develop many readiness for kindergarten skills. Besides drawing about a backpack, your child may enjoy painting about it.

One of the most important is the self-expression aspect of painting. Children are practicing communicating in images instead of words. Their choice of colors is not always the same as the real object but is important to them. Also, there is no doubt that children practice fine motor control when painting. They may use a variety of ways to hold the paintbrush as they are able. Focus and concentration develop as children work and play. They feel a sense of satisfaction and enjoy creating.

As children paint, they also experiment with boundaries. Their first painting attempts will likely be random patches of colors. Some children have a very difficult time stopping their work and end up with thick, brown puddles. But this is all part of the learning process and will help build kindergarten readiness. Is there a budding Picasso inside your child?

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpacks in Pictures

Did you hear the news that doodle art is making a comeback? No wonder–it’s terrific exercise for the brain. Often we forget to encourage the creative and artistic interests of children. To extend the imagination activity from yesterday, have your child draw a picture about the backpack in your story. Drawing helps develop readiness for kindergarten, too.

Drawing is the first way that your child expresses meaning through print. When drawing, young children first just experiment with making marks and lines on papers. As they develop, they begin to attach meaning to these squiggles. Later on, we may be able to recognize the objects in their pictures.  Making pictures is a step before writing and helps reinforce that meaning-print connection. In addition, making pictures on paper is good practice for making pictures in the mind or what is called visualizing.

Fine muscle skills are developing in young children and need lots of experimentation and practice. Drawing and coloring is one way to do this. While some children seem to draw well for others it can be quite a challenge. I never have been able to draw as well as many of my kindergarten students! But drawing can be fun for kids as they experiment and explore with all kinds of lines, colors and shapes. Kindergarten readiness in pictures. What does your picture show and tell?

Readiness for Kindergarten – Once Upon a Backpack

Did you know that the human brain is hard-wired for story? George Lakoff, a university scientist, wrote in his book Metaphors We Live By that our minds crave stories and are part of the structure of our brains. What does this mean for kindergarten readiness? That stories are a powerful teaching and learning tool! To … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Once Upon a Backpack

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack on Track

Backpacks are on on track for the kindergarten readiness skill of rhyming. What words sound like back and pack? Yak,track, black, tack, jack, quack, crack, etc. Children will learn to rhyme about the age of 4, but in the meantime, they need to hear lots of rhyming words. One way to do this is with books … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack on Track

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack to Go

With some of the backpack monster snack we made yesterday, a hat for the sun, a jacket, and of course a backpack, your child is ready to go…to the playground. A playground has all kinds of opportunities to practice and develop readiness for kindergarten. Time at the playground is more than working off energy. Whether … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack to Go

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack Monster Snacks

Besides monsters (see yesterday’s blogpost) another thing that can go in backpacks is snacks. Speaking of monsters, an easy snack to make is Monster Munch, aka Trail Mix. Here’s an idea that kids can help make and practice some readiness for kindergarten, too. In a large bowl you and your child can mix together a … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpack Monster Snacks

Readiness for Kindergarten – Genie in a Backpack

While we all encourage children to use their imaginations, there are better times than the middle of the night when imagined monsters hide under the bed. At school, when important notices never seem to make it all the home I often joke that there’s a monster in the backpack with an appetite for paper. Using … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Genie in a Backpack

Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpacks Rock

Backpacks not only rock, they bubble and fly, too. Using imagination they can. For a physical development and readiness for kindergarten activity you and your child can pretend that you are moving with a backpack that’s filled with all different kinds of things. Using imagination muscles as well as body ones, you and your child can pretend … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten – Backpacks Rock

Readiness for Kindergarten-Backpacks & Early Social Skills

When most people think of readiness for kindergarten, they think of academic skills like letters, numbers, printing a name, etc. For kids to feel comfortable and eager to learn they need to develop early social skills. These would include understanding basic emotions such as happy, sad, mad, scared, and interacting positively with other children. Playdates … Continue reading Readiness for Kindergarten-Backpacks & Early Social Skills