As a parent, you want to make sure your children are fully ready for school. You want them to adapt well to the classroom environment, make new friends, and communicate with teachers when they need help.
Research shows that children who are well-prepared have a better chance of settling in well and succeeding at school. You can educate your children in life skills in some fun and entertaining ways. Here are the most common things they should know before going to school.
Teach them to listen to instructions and carry them out
By the time they start school, your children should be able to listen to and follow simple instructions. The way to teach children how to follow instructions is to give them daily tasks around the house. Start by making sure you have the child’s attention, give a simple instruction and check that they understand.
You can build up to two-part instructions like “Please pick up your toys and put them in the box” or “Please pick up your plate and take it to the kitchen.”
Read them simple stories and get them to retell them
If you do not have a regular reading routine, you need to start one. In the first year of school, children will have to listen to and understand short stories. They should be able to retell the stories they have heard. You can encourage your child to retell stories by using pictures, puppets, or role-playing.
When children start school, they should already know the letters in the alphabet and have some idea of how sounds and letters relate. Children should also know how to identify words that rhyme in preparation for learning to read. Teaching your kid writing comes later but reading to them and having them retell stories prepares them for writing.
Get writing help
Games like matching rhymes and using alphabet charts can help a child to understand the relationship between sounds and letters. When kids have a solid foundation in reading and writing, they have fewer problems throughout their education. Those that do not have a good foundation are likely to struggle throughout their school years and even when entering a college to study. They may have to apply for writing help with a writing service Edubirdie where they can receive help from a professional writer. The range of services offered by EduBirdie is vast and covers everything from an essay to homework.
Teach them basic skills like counting and identifying shapes
When you go shopping, take your child along with you as this gives you the opportunity to teach them basic skills like learning to count and identifying shapes and colors. Ask your child to name the colors and count the items as you place them in the shopping basket.
Following a recipe is another simple way to teach a child to count and identify shapes and colors. You can also point out colors and shapes in your home and allow your child to experiment with crayons, blocks or playdough to become familiar with them.
Teach them independence and resilience
Children need to learn how to be independent and they won’t learn this if you do everything for them. For example, you need to teach them how to dress themselves in the morning. Start by teaching your child how to button shirts, zip pants, and put on gloves, socks and jackets.
Eventually, the child will be able to do this alone. Set up a sandwich station in your kitchen so they can have a choice of items to make their own sandwiches for their school lunch. If they learn how to do certain tasks independently, this can be a real advantage in the classroom environment.
Try to empower children to problem-solve so they will be ready to face any challenges they encounter. This can help them to adapt to different circumstances and environments without feeling overwhelmed. When you’re not around, knowing that they are equipped to problem-solve can really put your mind at rest.
Teach them to socialize and communicate
A big part of settling down well in school is to know how to interact with others. You can play board games with children at home to get them used to the idea of taking turns. Teach your children the importance of sharing their toys with other children and how to see situations from the perspective of others. Explain to them why someone else is sad or angry when they take away a toy. His understanding will be invaluable for them throughout their lives.
As well as communicating with their peers, children should be able to communicate their needs to a teacher. You can help to prepare them by teaching them five or six-word sentences like “Can I go to the bathroom?” or “I need help with this word.”
Conclusion
By the time children are six or so, the foundation of their personality is in place and they should be fairly independent already in the way they function outside of the home. Developing their life skills, such as listening, communicating and sharing, can help to prepare them for the classroom environment. Teaching them independence, resilience and problem-solving can help to make sure the transition to school is successful.
Author Bio:
Paul Calderon is an author and editor for a novel publishing company and is one of the main persons in the company behind the success of the company’s print version and ebooks. Besides novels, he is excellent in academic writing and loves helping students who struggle with essays. His free time is for swimming, cycling and watching anime.
