Getting Ready for
Pre-K
This list contains general strategies that families have found helpful
in preparing their children for their first school experience.
J Talk with your child about going to a new
setting.
J Take your child to meet the new staff and see
the new classroom.
J Read stories and look at books with your
child on a regular basis. This is
probably the single most important thing that you can do to prepare your child
for school. This builds good listening
and language skills and provides a strong motivation for learning to read.
J Give your child experiences with a variety
of toys and materials, and teach your child to use toys and materials
correctly.
J Teach your child self-care skills so they
may enjoy more independence (dressing, washing hands after bathroom, etc.).
J Teach your child to care for their own
belongings (for example, how to put toys away, hang up coat, etc).
J Encourage your child to play alone for
short periods of time as well as providing opportunities to play with other
children their age.
J Teach your child to follow simple
directions.
J Encourage your child to communicate their
needs and to use words to work out problems.
Acknowledge negative feelings but discourage their physical expressions
such as hitting, pinching or biting.
J Encourage your child to make choices (for
example, ask if your child wants to wear the blue shirt or the green shirt; do
they want cookies or applesauce for snack).
J Practice short separations from your child
by leaving them in the care of a responsible adult.
Following are some of our expectations for incoming Pre-K
students
1.
The
child should be able to sit and listen to a story or stay with an activity for
about ten minutes.
2.
The
child should be able to follow classroom rules and routines, including reasonable
quiet in the halls, appropriate behavior in the restrooms, and safe play while
outdoors.
3.
The
child should behave respectfully, and without defiance, toward the teachers and
should show respect for classmates and classroom materials.