A significant milestone in the life of a child is the beginning of their schooling.
There is a feeling of apprehension mixed with excitement. For a lot of children,
it is their first time being away from their parents. This is also a time when
they will learn new things. It is very important for early childhood education teachers to ease this anxiety and make their students experience an
enriching one. It is the teachers’ job to try and foster readiness-emotionally, physically
and mentally.
An important aspect that teachers ignore is physical
kindergarten readiness. Honing fine motor skills is invaluable. Children have
to be taught how to hold a pencil, a crayon or a marker. They must have the
right experience in coloring, drawing and scribbling on a piece of paper. The
child must also be made familiar with using child-safe scissors. The students
should be exposed to activities that will not only be fun, but which will also enhance
their control and increase their familiarity with writing instruments. Attention
should also be paid to motor skills such as climbing, running and jumping. Such
skills can easily be incorporated into games.
Emotional readiness includes teaching students how to behave in social situations. Using words like thank you and please should be emphasized
upon. It is also a good idea to teach children to communicate their feelings
when they are angry or frustrated. Equally important is teaching children the
importance of being fair. They must know how to take turns and follow rules.
Math, language arts, social studies and science
are a few subjects that comprise the kindergarten curriculum. Before starting with
the curriculum, children should be made familiar with the subjects in the form
of poems, stories and more. Children should enjoy learning as this will build
their academic foundation. Reading educational stories every day to the
students is a great way of preparing them for the months to come.
While preparing for math, ask the students to count
items; start by making them count the number of blocks
they use. Apart from this, there are many books that teach counting. Make use
of words like more, heavy, less, light, small and big for describing everyday
objects. This will help classify things into various groups.
Preparation for science includes developing a
familiarity with animals, plants, seasons and weather conditions and certain
characteristics of each. You must keep the introduction basic. Teachers can do
this through conversation and books. Readiness for social studies is about neighborhood
and community. Instill in students the fact that rules are good for them and
help everyone get along.
You must understand that kindergarten can be overwhelming
for a child who has not developed the required skills to cope. Giving enough
exposure to your little students in the areas mentioned above will make the
children comfortable and a lot more receptive to learning. If you can instill
emotional, physical and mental readiness in your students, you will certainly see
them do well academically.
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