How to Get a 4 Year Old Ready for Kindegarten

Teach him letter and number recognition using what you already have or flash cards. Clap out syllables. Try to start with writing his letters also. Kindergarten starts with sight words so try to get him to read small words like: an, the, like, cat... Show him that the beginning of sentences start with the capital letters and ends with a period. Also rhyming is pretty big in Kindergarten.
My son started Kindergarten this year and had none of this training. Suprisingly enough he has picked it up pretty quick but any little jumpstart is helpful.

R.,

You can to the the Texas Education Agency site and type in TEKS. This is known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. It's the state curriculum for each grade level. Scroll down and you should see each grade level. There is not an official curriculum for Pre-K, but you could get an idea of what a kinder will be taught. That's how we prepare our students for the next year... We look at where they are and where they need to be.

Try copying and pasting the following into your address bar:

http://www.tea.state.tx.us/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdent...

Talk to your child all the time and ask them lots of "why" questions. "Why do you think the water boils faster on the number 8 setting than it does on the number 3 setting?". "Do you think one cup of sugar is heavier, or one cup of flour?" A child that can think and puzzle out answers is a Godsend in the classroom. A child that isn't afraid to give a GUESS, and then test it, is a wonder to behold...

T. Cobbs

He (and you) don't need to do anything to prepare for kindergarten. Enjoy your child and have fun with him!

My son goes to preschool to have fun and enjoy some special things (like messy painting) he doesn't always get to do at home with his toddler sister and newborn brother. I wanted no academics. The best thing you can do is play with him, and have him play and pretend. Play, play, play! Put the worksheets aside.

Yes reading it is a big deal! He should have his scissor skills mastered down since he is four. He should be able to write his name first and last as well as know his address and phone number for kindergarten.

Work on site words so he will know how to read them: as, the, a, mom, dad, frequently used words.

Craigslist or Ebay: The four year old program of Abeka It is great for home schooling. I ran a daycare that used it and we had almost 300 kids. Our 4 yo were reading and writing site words, working on addition, couting to 100, etc...

Reading is def a big deal! Starter books, I can read etc. are great! I also picked up Hooked on Phonics for my daughter from Tuesday Morning for $30.

HTH

What he needs to be ready for kindergarten is to have fun while he is with you! Just relax and enjoy him being home..he will be in school for the next 18 years or so..have a good time! Go to the zoo together, play with friends, head to the library, go see a movie. Should you read to him, sure..but does he need to be reading before school? NOPE! Both of my girls that are in school are at the top of their class and neither one went to preschool, nor did I do any "curriculum" work with them. They need to know how to listen and respect authority, how to sit still for more than 3 minutes, and how to get along with others. That is what you should be working on at home. The rest will come in due time, and in the end, by 1st or 2nd grade, no one knows which kids went to preschool, and which ones didnt. Even for my girls, you would not have known in kindergarten. So, enjoy being his mom, before you have to turn him over to someone else's care for those long school days! ~A.~

What matters is that he's ready socially, and it sounds like he is. It sounds like he's ready academically as well. The academics in Kinder are pretty basic. They are not expected to be able to read, tie their shoe laces, etc. Just spend time reading to him, talking about things, go out and explore, answer questions, etc and you will be fine. He will be fine. There's so much pressure and the thing is, Kindergarten is not like first year rocket science school. It's Kindergarten for heaven's sake.

I am so glad you asked this question! My daughter, 4, stays home with me and I have been concerned about her readiness for Kindergarten. She is a smart kid and is fine socially. My mother says I never went to preschool and did great in Kindergarten but I feel like kids today are under more pressure to know more when they start than when I did. Also, I have friends whose kids are in full time pre-K and they make it sound like my daughter might be behind because she doesn't have "a head start" like their kids. But, honestly, I don't see a difference. They play at the same level and my daughter is a leader regardless. So I am just going to enjoy this time with her before she does start full time kindergarden and loose some of the innocence I feel she has been able to retain while staying home with me.

Have fun & enjoy your baby while he's home with you. :)

You don't have to do anything more than enjoy some bedtime stories every night. Let him entertain himself during the day, let him cook with you & help you with chores. Don't worry about pushing any curriculum on him right now. If he enjoys the workbooks, fine. But don't make him if he resists. Learning should be fun at this age.

Read, read and read some more to your 4 year old. Since you are a stay at home mom, offer him lots of varied experiences, inside and outside of the home. Music is good, too, with artists like Hap Palmer and Jim Gill.

You sound like a wonderful mother and Jackson is a lucky boy.

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