Language Arts
The Alphabet:
Some parents think that if their child can sing the alphabet song, then they know the alphabet. :) While that skill is super cute to listen to, it doesn't count for knowing the alphabet. Sorry. :(
By the end of kindergarten students need to:
- Recognize all UPPER case letters in and out of order.
- Recognize all lower case letters in and out of order.
- Know the sounds of each letter for both upper and lower case.
- Be able to write all upper and lower case letters. I tell parents that the goal is to "write" the letters, not "draw" them. Find out if your child's school teaches D'Nealian or standard print. It is important that they learn to write the letters correctly so they don't have to relearn them when they get to kindergarten.
A good website that creates handwriting practice in D'Nealian and print is: http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/flash/dnealian/index.htm
I would recommend your child know 1/4 to 1/2 of all letters before they come to kinder. This way they come in feeling confident and ready to learn more.
Some fun letter learning activities to do at home are:
- Using refrigerator magnets, have your child find the letter name or sound you say. Then have your child pick up a letter off of the refrigerator and let them tell you the letter.
- Using cooked spaghetti, have your child make the letters on a hard surface. Again you can give them either the letter name or sound and they make it.
- Using flour or pudding in a cookie sheet (pudding is much more fun because they can lick it), have your child "write" the letter using their index finger.
- Use sidewalk chalk and have your child practice writing their letters on the cement outside. Remember, when you give your child letters, make sure they are out of order.
- Fill a sponge (the kind where the soap is in the handle) with soap and have your child practice writing their letters on the table or counter. Score!!! You get some cleaning help in the process!
- Read a magazine together and point to letters. Have your child tell you the name and sound. This helps teach your child to recognize letters in different fonts.
By the end of kindergarten students need to:
- Recognize all UPPER case letters in and out of order.
- Recognize all lower case letters in and out of order.
- Know the sounds of each letter for both upper and lower case.
- Be able to write all upper and lower case letters. I tell parents that the goal is to "write" the letters, not "draw" them. Find out if your child's school teaches D'Nealian or standard print. It is important that they learn to write the letters correctly so they don't have to relearn them when they get to kindergarten.
A good website that creates handwriting practice in D'Nealian and print is: http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/flash/dnealian/index.htm
I would recommend your child know 1/4 to 1/2 of all letters before they come to kinder. This way they come in feeling confident and ready to learn more.
Some fun letter learning activities to do at home are:
- Using refrigerator magnets, have your child find the letter name or sound you say. Then have your child pick up a letter off of the refrigerator and let them tell you the letter.
- Using cooked spaghetti, have your child make the letters on a hard surface. Again you can give them either the letter name or sound and they make it.
- Using flour or pudding in a cookie sheet (pudding is much more fun because they can lick it), have your child "write" the letter using their index finger.
- Use sidewalk chalk and have your child practice writing their letters on the cement outside. Remember, when you give your child letters, make sure they are out of order.
- Fill a sponge (the kind where the soap is in the handle) with soap and have your child practice writing their letters on the table or counter. Score!!! You get some cleaning help in the process!
- Read a magazine together and point to letters. Have your child tell you the name and sound. This helps teach your child to recognize letters in different fonts.
Name Writing:
It's important that your child come into kindergarten knowing how to write their name. This allows your child to focus on beginning kindergarten skills rather than name writing. It will also help with his or her confidence. Again, it is important that your child "write" their name instead of "draw" their name. It's also important that they hold the pencil correctly. What I tell my students is "pinch, pinch." That means pinch the pencil with their thumb and pointer fingers. Sometimes it helps to use thick pencils or crayons. You can also get name writing practice sheets at http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/flash/dnealian/index.htm
Holding a Book and Turning Pages:
I know this sounds like a no brainer, but for kinders it can be challenging. To practice this skill at home is to read, read, read. Set the book on the table and have your child pick it up. Make sure he/she is holding it the right way. When you read to your child, let them turn the pages. Teach them to turn the pages "nicely". I show them that they can pinch a corner to help them turn the pages.
Distinguish the Difference Between Printed Words and Letters
This means that your child will need to identify whether he/she is looking at a word or letter.
To practice this at home,, you can use magnetic letters on a cookie sheet and you put either a word or letter on it (your child doesn't need to know the word, simply tell them the word after they identify if it is a letter or word). Then have your child tell you if it is a word or letter. Explain how you have multiple letters and you are going to make a word out of them
.
To practice this at home,, you can use magnetic letters on a cookie sheet and you put either a word or letter on it (your child doesn't need to know the word, simply tell them the word after they identify if it is a letter or word). Then have your child tell you if it is a word or letter. Explain how you have multiple letters and you are going to make a word out of them
.
Recognizing Spoken Sentences into Individual Words
Your child will need to be able to understand that sentences are made out of words and they will need to be able to identify the words in a sentence.
You can practice this anywhere (in the car, bath). You say a sentence and your child can clap when they hear a new word. When they get really good at the spoken sentence,, you can write a simple sentence down and have them count the words. Again, they don't need to be able to read the sentence, as long as they know that the words are separated by spaces. To make the game challenging, write really short sentences and really long sentences.
You can practice this anywhere (in the car, bath). You say a sentence and your child can clap when they hear a new word. When they get really good at the spoken sentence,, you can write a simple sentence down and have them count the words. Again, they don't need to be able to read the sentence, as long as they know that the words are separated by spaces. To make the game challenging, write really short sentences and really long sentences.