Episode 2: PREschool: Let’s Get Ready for Kindergarten
Let’s talk about what parents, children and educators can expect when starting preschool, how the transition into Kindergarten works, and what specific skills and milestones parents should be working on to prepare their littles for Kinder. I’m here to help you get your kiddos ready for Kinder with these tips!
Episode Highlights:
1. What to expect when starting preschool
2. How to transition into K
3. What to expect in K
Resources Mentioned:
FREE Kindergarten Readiness Checklist
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6070813a1717a7a075fd2e35
Connect with your podcast host:
https://www.instagram.com/chanty.macias
https://www.chantymacias.com/contact
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Hey, hey everyone! You’re listening to Episode 2 and we’re diving into what parents, children and educators can expect when starting preschool, how the transition into Kindergarten works, and what specific skills and milestones parents should be working on to prepare their littles for Kinder. This is a jam-packed episode so feel free to grab a notebook and a pen or take quick notes on the Notes app on your phone. Oh, and don’t worry if you can’t take notes right now, I have a super helpful Kinder Readiness checklist already done for you that you can grab in the show notes. I told you, I’m here to help make this preschool journey fun and easy for you, so let’s do this!
What to expect when starting preschool: We’re kicking this off with what you can expect when starting preschool. If you’re listening to this podcast, it’s because you either teach preschool or Kindergarten, have preschoolers at home, or know a preschooler and want to help them succeed. Chances are you have some experience with preschool but still want to learn more about how to simplify things, manage the challenges that come with this age and want to make learning fun for your kiddos but not make it overwhelming for you. I got you!
To keep it simple, preschool is an essential stage in a child’s development. Typically, preschool is for 3-5-year-old children. It is the foundation for future academic success that includes literacy and math skills, social skills, and other forms of development. In preschool, children learn through play, exploration and guided or independent activities that focus on particular areas or their holistic development.
Now, let’s talk about what they actually learn in preschool. Children are introduced to a variety of concepts and skills. The communication skills mainly focus on language development, social interactions and active listening. Active listening involves listening to others, building trust and establishing rapport and being receptive to others. In preschool, we often have students that may be nonverbal or have limited social skills so creating awareness in others and helping them use body language and other social cues to understand each other is crucial. It can really make all the difference when making friends and feeling loved and supported in a group setting.
In preschool, children also do activities that promote their cognitive, physical, social and emotional growth. Some basic skills they will learn are letter names and sounds, number recognition and number sense, colors, shapes, and more. They’ll also explore things in their world using art, science, and building blocks. Creative expression is often a big component of the preschool curriculum. This can be done through plays, music, movement, and other artistic opportunities. Sounds pretty well-rounded, right?
How to transition into K: As we know, all things come to an end, but it doesn’t have to be the end of their learning, does it? Guess what? The learning doesn’t end for us, either! You might have heard me say “preschoolers don’t really come with a manual.” Well, neither does Kindergarten or parenting! Lucky for you, I’ve been right where you are and I can tell you, it definitely gets easier and trust me, when you keep it simple, you’ll definitely enjoy the journey more.
I like to think of the transition into Kinder as a beautiful mess. Ok, hear me out. It certainly is beautiful, right? The growth we see, things they create, experiences we go through together… It's the most amazing time in our lives. However, it certainly is a mess. THEY’RE a mess, WE’RE a mess. It can be a lot. We have routines that aren’t in place. As parents, we cry. As teachers, we start all over again BUT we all go through it together and support one another and if you really think about it, it is probably the only time in your life when you truly feel that you have a village raising all the children. How beautiful is that?
Let’s think about how the transition into Kinder actually works. A preschool education lays the foundation and groundwork for Kinder readiness. In order to make the transition easier for children, we have to focus on certain skills and make sure they have mastered those skills before starting Kindergarten. I could sit here and tell you a mile-long list of what I think preschool children should know and be able to do as a former preschool and Kinder teacher but I’ll just give you a quick list. Ready?
Basic literacy and math skills include recognizing letters in their name and some letter sounds, identifying numbers, colors and shapes, counting and sorting. Some fine motor and life skills are holding a pencil properly, opening and closing buttons, and cutting with scissors. Taking turns, following directions and sharing with others can take some time but incoming Kinder students should have some of these skills mastered.
Feeling a little flustered or like you need to work on some of these with your kiddos? Don’t stress, I got you my friend! Remember that Kindergarten Readiness Checklist I told you about? It includes 7 areas of development and a curated checklist for all of the skills your littles can work on before entering Kindergarten! Feel like it’s too much, take 1 skill at a time. This is meant to be used as a guide, not a rule. You know your littles best so work on the skills they need and the rest will come with time and practice. Go ahead and grab your free copy of my Kinder Readiness Checklist in the show notes!
What to expect in K: So, now that we know what to expect in preschool and how the transition to Kinder actually works, let’s talk about what to expect in Kindergarten. Kinder is such a pivotal grade in a child’s development because they not only master skills they didn’t know they had but they also grow in ways we, as adults, would never have expected to see so early in their life.
Kindergarten is the beginning of their formal educational journey. The education is more structured, they have schedules and routines, and new content to learn in different subject areas. Children learn to express themselves with more complex vocabulary, comprehension, storytelling and more. They explore new curiosities with science, art, music and social studies. Their critical thinking skills become stronger and math becomes more advanced with new concepts like addition and subtraction. Reading skills start building through phonemic awareness, phonics, and language skills.
Creating engaging activities and setting up an enriching environment for your preschoolers directly contributes to their success. The more fun (yet simple) and meaningful activities you do with your children, the more they will learn. Their skills will progress, they will hit new milestones and you will see these preschool babies grow into young scholars and incredible young ladies and gentlemen.
As a preschool mama and educator, I can tell you these are the most amazing years to get a front row seat to your child’s development and simply marvel in the wonder of watching them grow before your eyes. Don’t forget, keep it simple, play with your littles and embrace the journey with them with a little magic, and a whole lotta patience, support and love!