Fun Ways that Toys Can Help Children Get Ready for Kindergarten

from Creative Homemaking by Rachel Paxton -http://www.creativehomemaking.com
/moms/kindergarten-ready.shtml
Used by permission

Article by Jacob and Carol Maslow

Learning the ABCs and 123s is important but some of the most important skills that new kindergartners need are best learned through play. Children are naturally curious and eager to learn new things, so why not take advantage of playtime to help your child develop the skills that will give them a great head start in school?

Pattern Power

Being able to recognize and replicate patterns is useful for more than just creating pretty designs. Children will call on their skills in classifying objects, sorting them and recognizing patterns as they move on to reading and mathematics. You can help your child develop these skills by making pattern play a part of your everyday life.

One easy way to do this is to use wooden blocks to create patterns and ask your child “What comes next?”. From there, you can move on to having them create patterns for you to complete. Wooden blocks in various shapes can also be sorted by size and shape to help children gain experience in grouping objects by kind.

Special pattern block kits containing various shapes with design pattern cards that can be completed with the blocks are also a fun challenge for young children.

As a bonus, they also reinforce shape and color recognition as well as fine motor skills.

Be on the lookout for patterns in your everyday life, such as alternating tiles on a floor or decorative patterns on furniture and clothing. In no time, your child will delight in pointing out new patterns to you and incorporate them into their artwork.

Fine Motor Skills

Strong fine motor skills will help your child in kindergarten as they master writing and other tasks such as cutting with scissors and gluing. In addition, they will allow your child to be more independent in the classroom. Most kindergarten teachers expect that their students will be able to use the bathroom, put on their coats, hats and mittens and tie their own shoes and may not have the time to help your child each and every time.

Arts and crafts are one of the best ways to help your child develop these skills. While creativity should be encouraged, you can also challenge your child to refine their fine motor skills by showing them how to color in the lines, trace and connect the dots. Help your child learn to use scissors by giving them frequent, supervised opportunities to cut out objects and paste them on paper. Experiment with other mediums such as finger paints, painting with brushes and modeling clay.

Stringing beads is another fun and effective way to strengthen fine motor skills and can also be combined with pattern, shape and color recognition. Wooden puzzles, lacing cards and small blocks are also good choices for developing fine motor skills and hand eye coordination.

Make getting dressed in the morning a game with songs, races and lots of encouragement. While it’s a bit more trouble for you, choose shoes with laces so that your child has an opportunity to learn to tie them. A basic skills board or doll with buttons, snaps, zippers and laces is another fun way to help your child practice these skills.

Social Skills

Children who can sit still for a reasonable amount of time, take turns, share and follow directions have a much easier time in kindergarten. Playtime is an ideal time to reinforce these social skills with your preschooler so that they are able to meet classroom expectations when the time comes.

Reading to your child is one of the best ways to help build their attention span and help them learn to focus on what is being said to them. Mix it up with a combination of traditional books, storytelling and books on cd or MP3 (these are great for in the car or when you need to have your child occupied so that you can cook or shower).

Playing board games is also a good way to model and encourage good social skills. Look for games that are easy enough for a pre-reader to understand and play but that are challenging enough so that your child will still get experience in how to deal gracefully with frustration. Pretend play, especially playing school, is a great way for you to model expectations with your child and allow them to experiment safely with testing the boundaries. This kind of playing is also a good way for children to relieve their anxieties about school in a supportive environment.

Classic playground games like Follow-the-Leader, Simon Says and Mother May I? also help children learn to follow instructions and control their impulses. You can and should incorporate responsibility into your playtime by requiring your child to tidy up and make transitions with a minimum of fuss and reminders.

Love and Support

Perhaps most importantly, playing with your child is one of the best ways to show them that they have your love and support. Children who feel loved and secure are better equipped to meet new challenges and deal with the ups and downs that a day at kindergarten brings.

Co-authors Jacob and Carol Maslow enjoy sharing their experience and expertise on children, toys and the importance of play. In addition to raising five young children, Carol works as a therapist specializing in helping developmentally delayed preschoolers integrate with their classmates. Jacob works at Today's Concept, where parents can find classic toys, including the highly regarded Melissa and Doug brand.