Saint Paul Blast Off to Kindergarten

Blastoff to Kindergarten > October > Get Ready for School

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OCTOBER

Get Ready for School

photo of childSkills to Practice this Month

Teach your child to follow spoken rules and directions. Upon entering kindergarten many children are able to sit for brief periods of time, about 15 minutes, and follow directions given out loud by a teacher.

Activities

Be sure to make time in your day with your child where you are sitting quietly for brief periods of time. Book sharing time or game playing time is a perfect way to sit quietly for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Listening and following directions are important skills they will need to learn in a group, follow along in a lesson, and understand the information being given. Talk about ways in which your child can be a good listener. Talk about the importance of school rules to keep your child safe and happy.

Help your child practice listening and following directions by playing “Follow the Leader” with your child. The first one to be the leader does a movement, a facial expression, or positions himself a certain way and everyone else copies the leader.

Play the “telephone” game with your child, your family, and friends. Everyone sits in a circle and one person whispers a word or phrase into the ear of the person sitting to her right. That person whispers it to the next person, and so on. The object of the game is for the last person to repeat the same word or phrase the first person said.

More Fun Activities!

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Suggested Reading

Books for Children

Do Like a Duck Does
by Judy Hindley

If You’re Happy and You Know It
by Jan Ormerod

Hop Jump
by Ellen Stoll Walsh

No Laughing, No Smiling, No Giggling
by James Stevenson

Books for Parents and Caregivers

The Giant Encyclopedia of Preschool Activities for Four-Year-Olds
edited by Kathy Charner and Maureen Murphy

Dedicated to making sure all children in Saint Paul are ready for kindergarten!

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Saint Paul Public Library
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