How to get your child Kindergarten Ready
This post was sponsored by Everywhere Agency on behalf of Primrose Schools, but like always all thoughts and opinions are my own.
As a former educator and kindergarten teacher I know just how important it is to prepare your children so that they are kindergarten ready. One of my favorite resources to help parents develop Executive Function Skills with their toddlers and children at home is through Primrose, an early education and care provider that has set a standard for developing the foundation to help children learn and develop.
Primrose has shared a list of 6 executive function skills that can all be implemented at home doing every day things or made in to fun activities. Which is wonderful and will really help get your child kindergarten ready. Here are three of the skills we are focusing on at home.
1. Adaptability
This is one of the foundation skills that lead to teamwork and other essential skills. Think of adaptability this way: When you turn off the television of your child's favorite show he/she doesn't have a meltdown but rather adjust to the change and grabs a new toy to play with.
Playdates are great ways to form adaptability in a young child. Children must adapt to a new setting and how new people function but sometimes it's just too hard to coordinate playdates. So, a great at-home activity to play with your child to form adaptability is imaginative play. We do everything from acting like a pretend school to making pretend food. And you do not need to go out and purchase expensive doctor play toys or play food, either. Simply use every day items such as bowls, spoons, cups, backpacks or whatever else you have on hand Remember it's imaginative!
2. Self-Control
My favorite at home self-control games are some oldies and some new ones.
We love Simon Says and Freeze Dance. Freeze Dance is a new game that we learned from the Primrose Schools website and is basically musical chairs without chairs or other people. Your child and you can dance all crazy until the music stops and then everyone has to freeze. These are great activities that really teach children not just self control but other critical skills such as listening. My son loves playing them and he isn't even 2 yet.
3. Working Memory
Working memory helps kids not only remember, but to actually use the information that they learned. (hence the working part. There are a lot of activities and board games that can be purchased to help children develop a strong working memory and then there are everyday things that a parent can use to help foster this executive function skill also.
In our family we read read and read more and one of the easiest ways to help foster working memory is to read together and allow your child to retell and participate in the reading. My son is only 21 months but in his favorite "Pete the Cat" book I always pause and let him answer the questions such as "What color did it turn his shoes?" And he proudly and loudly responds with the color. It's very cute and it's not an additional activity I have to do with him because we read throughout the day and every night before bed.
Now for the good part! I have teamed up with Primrose Schools for a giveaway: ten winners will receive a Primrose Prize Pack consisting of a $250 Barnes & Noble gift card and 5 children’s books! It's easy to win just head over to Primrose Schools and subscribe to their newsletter here!