The first day of kindergarten is coming up fast and you are worried about your child making friends and getting along with his classmates. Your biggest concern is whether or not your child will learn social skills in kindergarten. Well, you can relax because one of the most important parts of the kindergarten curriculum is teaching social skills. Children are young and just learning to get along with one another, treat each other with respect, and share. So, this must be taught.

Kindergarten teachers across the nation know just how to help your child integrate into the classroom and make new friends. In fact, kindergarten activities frequently include having the children break up into small groups and complete activities together. This allows them to interact and learn how to socialize.

Basic socialization skills like helping and respecting one another are taught as well as sharing and getting along. Teachers have lots of activities to help your child learn to share and get along with her peers. Also, it wont be very long before your child develops a best friend. Most kids in a kindergarten class are drawn to certain other kids and they end up becoming fast friends. These friendships teach the children a lot of social skills and they soon understand how to carry on conversations and how to resolve problems on their own.

Keep in mind that children who attend preschool or daycare before kindergarten will more than likely already have some basic social skills. Children who have been at home with their parents up until school starts are more likely to have a more difficult time with social skills than the other children. But, they will learn and by the end of the school year your kindergartener will more than likely be a social butterfly and will have attended approximately 20 birthday parties!

Kindergarten is a wonderful grade because it teaches your child the basics in academics but also helps your child learn socialization skills and became an effective communicator. You may be worried to begin with because your child is shy or has never played with other kids. But, dont worry. It wont be too long before that shy kid is socializing with all his classmates!

The first day of kindergarten is rapidly approaching and you are wondering what your childs days will be like. Also, your child is asking you what he will be doing all day long and you dont know what to tell him. Of course, all kindergarten classes have different days but the basic day in most kindergarten classrooms is something like the following. Keep in mind that you can always have a parent/teacher conference before the school year begins to find out exactly how your childs day will be. But, if you dont have time for that the following will give you a very good idea.

First, kids settle into the classroom. This means they arrive, put their things away, place their homework folders in their cubbies and then choose an activity in the classroom. This might be reading a book, playing with blocks, or doing a coloring sheet. Once everyone arrives and is settled in circle time begins.

During circle time all children gather on the carpet and talk about the weather, chart the temperature, talk about proper dress, and the like. Also, questions are answered and basic news is talked about. During this time numbers, the calendar, and the like may also be discussed.

Next a subject area will be covered with the children. Instruction may take place in a large group or many small groups and then the students will have an activity to complete. After this point the children will have snack time and then a short recess.

Once they return from recess the children will take part in more instruction until lunchtime. After the children have lunch they will enjoy a longer recess and then naptime.

After naptime more activities are explored. These may include counting, art, social studies, a trip to the library, or working on the computer. Most kindergarten classes also have activities throughout the year that are included in the day. Some special events take place as well and lots of classes have show and tell once per week.

Keep in mind that if you want to know your childs exact schedule you can find out by contacting the teacher. However, the above sample schedule is very similar to many kindergarten classrooms across the nation and will very likely be similar to your childs day.

Many parents are anxious about sending their baby to kindergarten and have many questions. One of the most popular questions parents ask is what will their child learn in kindergarten. The answer varies depending on where your child attends school and his teacher, but most schools and teachers have a very similar curriculum because of what the states require kindergarteners to learn throughout the year. The following overview of subjects include what most kindergarteners learn throughout the school year.

Reading and Writing

Your child will learn to read in kindergarten although it will probably be very short and basic books. Some children go to kindergarten already reading while others have no clue whatsoever. As a result some children dont learn as much as they can because they werent prepared beforehand.

The alphabet is taught in kindergarten. This includes the sounds of the letters and words that start with particular letters. Words will be taught in conjunction with different letters so your child begins building his vocabulary and learning how to read and write at the same time. Phonics and sounding out words are also part of the kindergarten curriculum.

Your child will learn to write his name, address, phone number, and many words. Tracing the letters of the alphabet your child will learn how to write the letters on his own and not only learn to write but learn to spell as well.

Math
Math is also another basic part of the kindergarten curriculum. Your child will learn the numbers, how to say and write them, counting, and basic adding and subtracting.

Social Studies
Kids are taught about the world around them during kindergarten. This includes the basis for political holidays and the like.

Science
Basic science is introduced as well during kindergarten. Your child might learn about the weather, different seasons, and other similar topics.

Foreign Language
Many kindergarten classes also teach a foreign language, in most cases Spanish. This is usually a basic introduction to the language.

As you can see your kindergartener will have a full day and by the time the year is over your child will have a lot of the basics down. He will be able to write, count, and read and will be prepared to enter the first grade. Keep in mind different schools stress different curriculums in kindergarten so you will need to discuss this with different kindergarten teachers in order to find the best school for your little one.

Once upon a time kindergarten was for socializing, playing, coloring, and learning the alphabet. However, things have drastically changed and these days expectations are much higher for kindergarteners. In fact, many parents are shocked at what their kindergarteners are expected to know and be capable of at the tender age of five. Continue reading to find out more of the expectations for kindergarteners across the nation.

Alphabet
When your child reaches kindergarten he/she should already know his alphabet and recognize the letters. It is outstanding if your child can already write the letters of the alphabet, but if not that is ok because he will learn in kindergarten.

Match Words
One kindergarten expectation is that your child can match words, both spoken and written. This means that your child should have already been introduced to the written language and be able to recognize basic words and understand what the word sounds like and also what it looks like.

Rhyming Words
Your child should know all about rhyming words and be able to identify them. This is a big part of kindergarten and will help your child learn how to spell words through association.

Beginning Sounds
Your kindergartener should be able to recognize the beginning letter of spoken words.

Names and Personal Information
Children in kindergarten should be able to write their first and last names and even their address and telephone numbers.

Reading
Your child should begin kindergarten being able to read basic words. However, as the year progresses your child should be able to read short narratives.

Writing
Writing short narratives as the year progresses is also an expectation of all kindergarteners.

There are many more expectations for kindergarteners like enjoying being read to, socializing with others, listening, answering questions, and more. You will need to evaluate your child and see if he/she is prepared to enter kindergarten or if your child needs a little more time to work on his skills before beginning kindergarten. If your child starts behind he may stay behind the whole year or he may be able to catch up. You will need to evaluate your childs abilities and be honest with yourself before making the decision.

If your child is struggling in kindergarten you need to first identify why. There can literally be thousands of reasons why your child is struggling and you as the parent are responsible for figuring out why. Some possible reasons your child is struggling could be that he isnt getting enough sleep, he is dyslexic, or he is not developmentally ready. Obviously, some of these problems require more work to correct than others, but once you know the problem it will be much easier to figure out the problem. Lets discuss a couple of solutions to these problems since they are common ones.

Not Enough Sleep
The average five year old needs between 10 and 12 hours of sleep each night. If your child is not getting this much sleep then he/she may be exhausted during the day and have problems paying attention. If this is the case then it is obvious that your child might struggle through kindergarten and have problems learning. Keep in mind that your childs bedtime should be early enough that your child can get in at least 10 or 12 hours of sleep before getting up and getting dressed for school. So, if your child starts school at 8 am and it takes an hour for your child to get up, get dressed, and get to school then your child should be in bed around 7:30 8 pm in order to get enough sleep. Once your child is rested you may see a marked improvement in his school performance.

Dyslexia
If your child is dyslexic then you will need to take him to a doctor to have him diagnosed. Once a diagnosis is received then you will have a better idea of how to treat him. There are lots of different programs that are designed to help dyslexic children and your childs teacher may very well be good at working with dyslexia.

Development
Some children are simply not developmentally ready for kindergarten. It would help for you to realize this before your child enters school but this is not always the case. So, if you believe your child is not developmentally ready simply give him some time and work with him at home. Write letters to one another, read books together, and try and create a love for reading and writing within your child. Dont push your child simply let him take his time and learn on his own schedule. It might mean he needs to repeat kindergarten the upcoming year, but if your child is not ready he simply is not ready. Just support your child and try to help make learning fun!

The first day of kindergarten is just around the corner and you have so many things you want to know about the school year but you dont know what questions to ask to get the most information and not sound silly. The following topics will help you get a good idea about what questions you should ask and how they will more than likely be able to answer most of your questions.

Curriculum
Most parents really want to know about their childs kindergarten curriculum. This includes the different themes that will be discussed and what subjects will be covered. Parents also need to know what expectations the teacher has for their child and how things will be handled if the child falls short of expectations. All parents have a fear their child wont excel and want to do everything they can to prepare them for a successful year. Because of this parents should talk about the curriculum with their childs kindergarten teacher and determine what will take place and what their child will learn.

Discipline
Discuss discipline with your childs kindergarten teacher as well. This is an important topic and one you will want to know all about ahead of time. You dont want to be surprised with a method of discipline so talk with the teacher and find out how transgressions are handled and what punishment children will receive. Then you may discuss these topics with your child so he knows what to expect should he get out of line.

Homework
Ask your childs kindergarten teacher what kind of homework will be sent home and how much. Knowing up front what to expect will help you prepare your child for homework and also schedule helping him in your evening.

Daily Routine
Asking about the daily routine and how the day plays out is another good question. The teacher can address your fears and concerns and help you see how instruction is broken up by free time, recess, snack, lunch, and games. The whole day wont be focused on lecturing your child on how to write his letters, but knowing exactly how the day will be might make you feel better.

Your Childs Fears and Abilities
Consider talking to your childs teacher about the different abilities and fears your child has. That way she will know what to expect from your child and be able to prepare herself to teach your child in the most efficient manner.

Of course, you may have some other questions other than these you want to ask your childs kindergarten teacher. If that is the case then feel free asking them. Your childs teacher will want you to feel relaxed and confident so your child will, too, so she wont have a problem talking with you and answering your questions.

Can you believe you will be sending your child off to kindergarten next year? The years have flown by and now your little baby is a little child who is ready to begin school and start learning. But, is he ready? Are you ready? The best way to prepare your child for kindergarten is to first prepare yourself.

Once you become okay with the idea then you are better prepared to start helping your little one learn the basics he will need during his first year of school. Some parents are lax and figure their kids will learn what they need to learn when they get to school and they take no time to teach them the basics. Then, other parents are so concerned about their children doing well in kindergarten they put too much pressure on them to learn early on. However, there is a happy median.

Start Early and Slow
The best thing to do is to start teaching your child about the world around him, and this includes reading, writing, math, science, and the like as soon as he is born. This means instilling a love of the world around him early on. Establishing a habit of several educational books before bedtime every night will teach your child vocabulary and other things like science, colors, shapes, days of the week, months of the year and more. Then by the time kindergarten rolls around your child will be completely prepared. Of course, if you dont start out with this routine you can start at any time. Kids love learning new things especially if it is fun so focus on that.

As long as you are having fun your kid will too. If you sit him down with a book and try to get him to learn and study on his own you can pretty much expect resistance and you will also be creating problems for kindergarten. It might sound crazy, but if you make a game out of learning your child will love to learn new things. If you approach learning with a bad attitude and as if it is something you have to do rather than something that is fun you will pass this on to your child.

However, if you make learning fun you can count on your child being excited about learning new things. This is the perfect attitude for kindergarten where all day is spent learning new things. So, keep in mind that you need to always have a good attitude about learning and be very patient with your child. When you allow creativity and fun to enter the lesson more learning will occur and you will have fun too!

Just keep this in mind when you are preparing your child for kindergarten. Then, when he shows up and knows his alphabet, numbers, colors, and how to write his name he will be ahead of the class and knowing how to do a lesson without being taught will really improve his self esteem! Dont be lax about teaching or go overboard, just take it slow and have fun. Your child will learn more that way and have a better response to kindergarten, too.

Some parents send their children to preschool and other parents wait until it is time for kindergarten to send their children to school. What you do as a parent should be determined by your child and your personal convictions. However, there are many benefits for your child if he goes to preschool before starting kindergarten. Below a few of them are discussed in further detail to give you a good idea of why preschool can help your child prepare for kindergarten.

Social Skills
Sending your child to preschool really helps him develop social skills. It might not seem like a big deal, but once your child is in kindergarten and interacting with other kids all day long it will become evident why social skills are so important. Enrolling your child in preschool, even if it is two or three days a week, will allow your child to make friends, learn how to share, learn to follow directions, and become a social butterfly. This is not to say that kids who dont go to preschool wont be able to socialize well in kindergarten, just that kids who go to preschool already know how to socialize when the arrive in kindergarten.

Basic Knowledge
A good way to prepare your child for kindergarten is through preschool. Most preschools teach the basics like the alphabet, numbers, colors, days of the week, and more. If your child has these basics when he enters kindergarten then he will have more confidence and be able to learn faster. This is really important and your child is the one who will benefit. Kids who dont go to preschool will still learn in kindergarten, its just that their learning curve wont be as accelerated as those children who attended preschool.

No Separation Anxiety
Another benefit of children who attend preschool is that they get over their separation anxiety earlier or at least reduce it significantly. If your child is accustomed to being with you all day long every day and you just all of a sudden drop him off at school for an entire day he may have some serious crying and tantrum fits and a big case of separation anxiety. However, if your child attends preschool and gradually learns that when you drop him off that you will return he will understand he is not being abandoned and can have fun at school.

These are just a few of the many benefits children who attend preschool before kindergarten experience. All children are different and so are their experiences, but these are generalized and will help you understand a little better what your child has to gain by attending kindergarten.

Lots of children spend the majority of their day in daycare from six weeks up to five years of age. This means that these children really get to interact with other kids and adults of all ages as well as become accustomed to spending the day with one set of people and the afternoons and night with their parents. As a result day care has some definite benefits for the child who is about to start kindergarten.

Socialization
Learning how to socialize can be difficult for some children who are used to being with mommy or daddy all day long and are not accustomed to sharing or playing with other kids. However, those kids who attend daycare all day long quickly learn what sharing means and that playing with other kids can be a whole lot of fun. As a result these children develop friendships and enjoy spending time with them. This means kids have a social life all their own and appreciate developing these skills and a set of friends they can talk to and play with.

Kids who do not attend daycare before kindergarten may not develop friendships as easily and may be more introverted. They may have a hard time transitioning from play with mommy and daddy to play with several children of the same age. Because of this daycare before preschool, even if it is just a couple a days per week can really prepare your child socially for kindergarten.

Reduced Anxiety
Have you ever left your child for a couple hours to go to dinner? Did your child scream and cry the entire time you were gone? If so your child likely suffers from separation anxiety. So, imagine how difficult this will be on your, your child and your childs teacher if you simply drop him off at kindergarten for an entire day with no adjustment period?

If you send your child to daycare for a half day, then three quarters of a day, and finally a whole day and keep this up for a couple days a week until kindergarten starts your child will learn to be happy without you and understand that you will return at a certain hour. Kids who are not eased into this transition can have big problems doing so that cause a lot of stress for everyone involved.

As you can see, there are many benefits to sending your child to daycare before kindergarten. Even if you are a stay at home parent consider having your child attend daycare periodically just to become accustomed to change and life without you.

Many parents are worried that their children should be able to read in kindergarten. This of course is a wonderful goal and many children accomplish it, however it is not a requirement. The most important thing is that your child experiment with reading and writing during the kindergarten year. More than likely your child will learn to read basic stories by the end of the year if he/she did not read before entering kindergarten. Of course, if your child reads before entering kindergarten then he/she will learn even more and read even better.

Preparing Your Child
If you are interested in preparing your child to read before kindergarten or at least helping him understand the basics of reading then there are a few things you can do. The first thing is to teach the alphabet and vowels. Once your child knows the alphabet then you can start working on recognizing the alphabet and the sounds of the different letters. If your child enters kindergarten with this basic knowledge then he will have no problem whatsoever learning to read during the year.

The best way to start is to introduce your child to the alphabet through books. Kids love to have their parents or others read books to them and they will sit quietly and pay attention. If you are going over the alphabet and having your child read the letters after you then you will see him learning and having fun at the same time. Then, make a game out of tracing the letters and coloring them with different colors. Also have your child write his name and teach him the letters in his name. This will all prepare your child for kindergarten and help him understand the basic letters and sounds which in turn will help him learn to read.

There are also lots of educational DVDs that are fun to watch and teach kids all about the alphabet, phonics, reading, and more. You can put one of these DVDs on instead of another cartoon and let your child watch and learn. It will keep him occupied and he will have lots of fun learning about reading and having fun.

You can find other ways to teach your child the alphabet and basics of reading. Whatever seems to work for you and your child will be the best thing to focus on. It might take you a little while to find the best way to teach your child and still have fun, but you will figure it out and you will both have fun while preparing for kindergarten!