Are The Children Ready for Kindergarten?

Hello Friends,

Birth to age five is the most important learning time in a child's life. Ninety percent of a child's brain growth occurs during these five years.  Children being "ready for school" when starting kindergarten really matters. Children who enter kindergarten "ready for school" are more likely to do well all the way through high school and beyond.

Both teachers and parents play a pivotal role in a child's readiness for school. Social emotional development is really an import key to school readiness. Social emotional development refers to the child's ability to get along with others; to handle emotions and strong feelings; to follow directions; and to stay involved with a task.

Here are some ways that teachers and parents cann build social emotional skills in young children.

• Praise positive behavior--Praise leads to healthy self-esteem and understanding how to behave. When children behave--use words of praise and admiration. Be sure to tell children what they can do; not just what is done wrong or what they cannot do. Every time children are praised; they feel terrific about behaving in that way.
• Keep rules simple and clear--Children are more confident about doing the right thing when they know the rules--simple and clear ones. Give young children  three to five simple rules to follow: "Hold my hand when we walk on the parking lot." "Say please and thank you." "Let me answer the door if the doorbell rings."
• Lead by example--Children watch adults closely and that is one way they learn how to behave. If you express anger or displeasure calmly, children learn to do the same. Positive role models in the early years provide guidance in kindergarten and throughout life.
• Be sure to give choices--Let children make choices--which books to read, which snack to pick, etc. Children learn to follow guidance and to make decisions when given choices between things. Making these choices builds strong social emotional skills in young children.

What do you think about building social emotional skills in young children? How do you encourage parents to build these skills? Let's talk!