Ensuring that Your Child is Ready to Read in Kindergarten

Ensuring that Your Child is Ready to Read in Kindergarten
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Kindergarten Readiness Skills

No child wants to stand out in a crowd, especially in new surroundings. Making sure your child has the kindergarten readiness skills that they need to start the school year off right. Part of kindergarten readiness is not exactly in knowing how to read, but in letter recognition and vocalization. Read on to the next section to find out how you can prepare your child for kindergarten.

Reading in Kindergarten

Rest easy, no teacher is going to expect your child to be able to read when entering kindergarten. But, there are some skills they should have mastered or at least be off to a pretty good start with. Use the information and tips below to prepare your child for the kindergarten reading experience.

Ask yourself the following questions.

  • Is your child able to sit through the reading of a story? This is a classic part of kindergarten reading that your child should be able to do. Practice this with them by sitting down to read a book with them.
  • Is your child able to recognize their name? While they can learn this in kindergarten, things will flow much smoother for them if they are able to at least recognize their own name. It’s even better if they can write it. Make a game of having them pick out their name out of a list of names. Have them draw you pictures and write their name in the top to practice writing it.
  • Does your child know the alphabet? Preschoolers often learn this in their class or by learning the alphabet song. Make learning the alphabet twice as educational by having them sing the alphabet song as they wash their hands in the bathroom. This not only reinforces the alphabet learning process, but also teaches them good hygiene! Find fun ways to teach your child their letters by pointing out simple signs on the road or in doorways. Beware that doing this can lead to creating a backseat driver as your child yells “Stop” whenever they see a stop sign.

If the answer to the above questions is “yes,” then you may very well wish to begin teaching your child to read simple words on their own. One excellent resource for parents is the book Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons.

Your child is going to be learning many new things. Make sure they have the kindergarten readiness skills that they need to prepare them for this new experience! Find out more about specific kindergarten readiness requirements and use these tips to make sure your child meets them!

This post is part of the series: Kindergarten Readiness Skills

Is your child ready for kindergarten? Make sure they are prepared with the kindergarten readiness skills they need to do their best academically and socially.

  1. Kindergarten Readiness Skills: Reading
  2. Kindergarten Math - Basic Skills Practice
  3. Getting Your Kindergartener Into a Routine