October is National Bullying Prevention Month. In preschool, prevention is the name of the game. At this age, children aren’t really capable of intentionally bullying another quite yet, and they’re too young for cyber bullying. But, they will have disagreements with peers and act out of frustration. How can you help your child succeed from her very first school day? Help her build self-confidence when it comes to learning; by being her biggest cheerleader you’ll instill a love of learning that will last throughout her life and will help her meet specific goals each year.
1. Jumping on the Lily Pads is an example of a number path game that can be played as a board game or in a larger version on the floor. Children take turns rolling their die and moving their frog token along a path of evenly spaced, numbered lily pads leading to a pond. The goal is to be the player whose frog reaches the pond first.
2. Connect the activity to your child’s interests
‘You were asking about ant nests yesterday. Let’s go for a walk and see if we can find some.’ Take along a nature notebook and pencil for sketching, a bag to carry any treasures and go explore.’
Listen to what your child is talking about and notice what they are doing; these little clues will help you to continue the exploration when you get home.
3. All children need playtime and playing games is fun. You can count cars, notice different kinds of vehicles, their colors all naturaly while watching the cars pass by.
4. Go play a game outdoors.
What are letter links?
The Letter Links name learning system pairs a child’s printed nametag with a letter-linked picture for a word that starts with the same letter and sound. For example, Debbie’s letter link includes her nametag plus a picture of a duck or a deer, and Tim’s might include his nametag plus a picture of a tepee or a turtle.
The Letter Links system enables you to introduce your child to letter names and sounds by building on children’s natural attachment to their own names. As children use letter links to identify themselves and their classmates, they begin to develop an understanding of the alphabetic principle — the understanding that alphabet letters and the sounds of speech are connected. Children also build phonological awareness — the ability to attend to the sounds of language as distinct from its meaning.
Letter links can be used by children and teachers in many ways: to label children’s coat hooks, Lunch or nap bins, literacy center will offer their full name to practice writing, and belongings in the classroom; to identify children in classroom signs, lists, and messages; and to create fun and engaging classroom literacy activities.
Letters and Sounds
“Reading to your children at home not only makes them enjoy reading, but it also helps them in school,” says Susan Quinn, a reading specialist and elementary school teacher at Saint Brendan School in the Bronx, New York. Reading together nurtures companionship and fun and builds concentration, focus, and vocabulary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfCYSUDX2Wk
It’s always better to start them on easier books, because then they feel successful, and that spurs them on, so they’ll read more.
Quinn says. Dr. Seuss books, with their rhymes and simple words, are perfect for this age, Quinn says. Kids learn through repetition, so read the same favorite books over and over, ask questions, and encourage your child to say simple words aloud. Throughout the day, have her say the words she sees on street signs, billboards, and computer screens, or have her search for high-frequency words in a magazine.
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They will also write short, simple sentences such as “The cat ran home.” Keep a special box or bin at home filled with writing materials (crayons, pencils, markers, paper, and notepads) so your child can practice writing simple sentences about special things he’s done or seen during the day. Ask about what he’s written, and have him read it aloud. Offer encouragement by displaying his writings on the refrigerator or on her bedroom wall.
Kids this age will learn to recognize, write, order, and count objects up to the number 30. They will be able to add and subtract small numbers (add with a sum of 10 or less and subtract from 10 or less); this focus on addition and subtraction will continue through second grade.
Numbers and Counting
Get your kindergartner to look for the numbers one through 30 in magazines and newspapers. He can cut them out, glue them on paper, and put them in order. When you’re riding in the car or waiting in line, play a game of “What comes next?” Give your child a number and ask him to identify the following number. At bedtime, ask him to count how many stuffed animals he has, and ask, “How many books about dogs do you have? How fast can you count them?” Take two of these books away and ask, “How many are left?”
- Kids this age will learn to recognize, write, order, and count objects up to the number 30.
- They will be able to add and subtract small numbers (add with a sum of 10 or less and subtract from 10 or less); this focus on addition and subtraction will continue through second grade.
- Kids will learn how to name and describe common shapes (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) and to identify, sort, and classify objects by color, size, and shape.
Help your child understand the concept of time by saying what time it is during routine activities. Use and explain words like morning, noon, night, yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Make a timeline together showing a typical day, with drawings of regular events and the time of day written beneath each one.
In addition to learning about time, 5- and 6-year-olds can name the four seasons, so chart changes in the weather together on a special weather calendar to help your child learn how the seasons change. Find pictures illustrating the seasons (colorful leaves, snow, blooming flowers) and discuss what your child sees in them. Talk about what clothing you can both wear during each season.