North Hills School District 2020

Get Ready for Kindergarten! Calendar of Activities for Prekindergarten Students 26

Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Read to your child! Skill: Separate from parents/care givers.

Explanation: Building strong reading skills is fundamental to Explanation: Children will be able to separate from preparing your child for the future. Studies show that reading as a parents/caregivers with increasing ease family provides great opportunities for bonding. Activities: Activity: Explore the website below. If you have an iPhone, sign up for • Arrange a play date that lasts from one hour to ninety the app. (If you do not want to type in the whole address, you can do a minutes. Physically leave the premises once your child is google search for “1000 books before kindergarten.” comfortable. (Check Shaler Library’s programming for play group options.) http://1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/ • Use simple terms to let your child know what to expect. • Leave your child for short periods of time with a trusted adult. Have a routine for saying good bye. Quick good-

byes lead to dry eyes.

All by Myself Fun with Numbers Skill: Personal Hygiene Skill: Recognize letters and numbers

Explanation: Children will be able to ask to use the bathroom, wipe, Explanation: Children will differentiate between letters and flush, and wash hands. numbers.

Activities: Activities: • Give your child experiences using other restrooms away from • Mix a set of magnet or foam numbers and letters in a hat. home. Have your child pull them out and sort into piles of either • Teach independent bathroom routine and allow your child to letters or numbers. practice independently. • Look at a magazine or advertisement. Circle letters with one color crayon and numbers with a different color. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNUJs3GUlUQ

Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Know how to handle and care for books Skill: Take turns and wait your turn.

Explanation: Children will have the opportunity to choose and Explanation: Children learn how to be a good friend by experience new books sharing and taking turns.

Activity: Request a library card: Activities: • Have your child get his/her own library card at a local • Give your child different examples of ways to library. Introduce yourself to the librarian and ask share: take turns with a toy, play with a tow about possible summer reading programs. Model how together, and use a timer. to handle a book, turn pages, recognize where the • Practice different ways to take turns with words and pictures are. family and friends. • Look for some of our Suggested Books at the library • Play games that require taking turns. • Check out your local library’s programming schedule. Many local libraries have fun activities for incoming kindergarten children.

All by Myself Fun with Numbers Skill: All about tissues! Skill: Rote counting to 30

Explanation: Children will stay healthy by using a tissue to Explanation: Rote counting is the ability to count out wipe their nose, cover sneezes with a tissue and throw the loud from memory. This skill is the foundation for more tissue away advanced math concepts. Activities: Activities: • Have your child count in the car. • Model how to use a tissue, throw it away, and wash • Play games such as Hide and Seek hands. • Count how long an activity takes. Some examples • Allow your child to practice using a tissue are cleaning up, getting a drink, waiting in line, etc. http://www.viewpure.com/cvhR5-Mm3ck?ref=search

Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Listen for rhyming words. Skill: Cope with a variety of feelings

Explanation: Explanation: Rhyming and reading support each other. Feelings are a part of our everyday lives. Being able to identify and express feelings appropriately will help a Activities: child develop positive self-concepts and friendship skills • Pick a few favorite nursery rhymes and practice by removing the Activities: final word and asking your child to guess • Name and act out feelings with your child: frustration, • Read Dr Seuss books to your child nightly. Have him/her guess anger, sadness, joy, excitement. what words may come next that would rhyme with the current • Model and encourage your child to “use his/her words” to word in the story. Have your child say only the rhyming words express feelings. along with you when you are reading. Re-reading a book is a • Read and discuss books with your child: When Sophie suggested activity. Gets Angry by Molly Bang • Sing rhyming songs. • Give your child examples of how to handle feelings: draw • Play a rhyming game. picture, count to 10, take a breath, or tell an adult. http://pbskids.org/games/rhyming/ • Play games with your child. Let your child experience how to be a good sport whether he/she wins or loses. All by Myself Fun with Numbers

Skill: Table manners are important in a social setting Skill: Shapes and foster acceptance of others. Explanation: Shape recognition is an important math

Explanation: Children will be eating lunch at school with a large skill because shapes are all around us. The shapes we group of children. learn about in kindergarten are: circle, square, rectangle, triangle, diamond and oval. Activity: Eat at least three meals a week at a table with your Activities: family. Model how to… • • Stay in the chair Go on a shape hunt! Use the flash cards listed • Chew with mouth closed above and find items in the house that are the • Use a napkin and utensils corresponding shape. • Stay at the table until everyone is done • Use sidewalk chalk and draw shapes of various • Ask to be excused sizes. Name the shapes while drawing. • Clean up when done (take plate to sink, throw away napkin, etc) http://www.tlsbooks.com/shapeflashcardscolor.pdf

April Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Recognizing alphabet letters Skill: Speaking and Listening Explanation: Reading is the foundation of all learning. Letter recognition Explanation: The ability to introduce oneself and actively is an essential building block to reading. participate in a conversation contributes to social development,

Activities: safety in the school setting and the world. • Find letter puzzles for your children. Name the letters with your Activities: child. • Have your child repeat after you, “Hello, my name is • Make letters with play-doh ______(first name) ______(last name).” • Make letter books using magazine pictures • Model ways to be a good listener: look at the person who • Have your child look for the letters in his/her name on road signs is talking & wait your turn to speak. • Let your child play with magnet letters on a refrigerator or cookie • Practice being a good listener during family meals. sheet. Name the letters while playing. • Spend screen-free time talking as a family. • While eating Scrabble Cheez-Its, name the letters with your • Model how to share information with others: speak loudly child. enough to be heard and use an inside voice http://www.starfall.com • Ask open-ended questions such as, “What was your favorite part of the day? Why?” • Simple games: How many kinds of animals can you name that live in the sea? How many things can you name that fly? Take turns sharing as a family so your child can be the listener and the speaker. All by Myself Fun with Numbers Skill: Dressing self Skill: One-to-one correspondence Explanation: Children will need to prepare to go outside for recess, Explanation: Children will understand that each object being transition from school to home as well as from home to school. Children counted represents one more. (Example: When counting three cars, will need to: each car gets one number, 1-2-3.) • Recognize items that belong to me: coat, backpack, boots, gloves, Activities: hats, etc • Bounce a ball. Count bounces • Zip, button, snap. Put shoes on, Put coat on • Count the steps as you walk up and down. Each step gets a Activities: number • Practice with lacing cards, games and string beads • Count items in your cart while shopping. • Practice zipping, buttoning, and snapping clothes independently • Make play-doh eggs for chickens using number mats: • Allow extra time for your child to put on and take off his/her coat, shoes, etc., EVERY day! http://makinglearningfun.com/themepages/ChickenPlaydoughMats.htm

• Create a prop box for dress up and pretend play. Fill it with old http://www.abcya.com/number_match.htm jewelry, shoes, hats, boots, etc

Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Identify alphabet letters Skill: Manners

Explanation: Children sing the alphabet song without thinking Explanation: Saying please and thank you is such a small thing that about each letter. These activities will help children recognize goes a long way in creating social intelligence. each letter in the alphabet and identify missing letters. Activities: Activities: • Read and discuss books such as: The Berenstain Bears Forget • Sing the alphabet song. Try saying the alphabet without singing Their Manners by Jan and Stan Berenstain, Clifford’s Manners by it. Norman Birdwell, Emily’s Everyday Manners by Peggy Post and • Sing the alphabet song while pointing to each letter Don’t Forget Your Etiquette by Nadine Westcott. • Sing the alphabet song but skip a letter. See if your child can • Have your child write a thank-you not to someone. identify which letter was skipped • Role play shopping at the supermarket, saying “excuse me”, to get • Write letters of the alphabet on pieces of paper. Hide them past someone, “please” when asking for an item, ad “thank you” around the room. Have your child find and identify the letters. when receiving the item. As an extension, put the letters in order once they have been • Count together throughout the day, how many times “please” and found. “thank you” are said. • Use the flashcards in this bag to make a matching game or a go http://www.viewpure.com/zXIxDoCRc84?ref=search fish game. All by Myself Fun with Numbers Skill: Clean up Skill: Classify and sort objects

Explanation: Kindergarten children will engage in active learning. Explanation: These activities provide children with the They will work in learning and play centers throughout the year. opportunities to develop logical reasoning skills as well as Children will be expected to take care of materials by cleaning up demonstrate divergent (independent) thinking. efficiently. Activities: Activities: • Sort buttons of varying colors, shapes and sizes • Read and discuss books such as: Curious George Cleans Up by H.A. • Help with laundry. Sort clothing by size, color, type or Ray and Clean Up Time by Elizabeth Verdick. family member • Make cleaning up a game: set a timer or put on a song. See if • Sort toys, Legos, stuffed animals, etc. your child can finish cleaning up before the timer runs out. • Sort magnetic letters – ones that have holes and ones that • Give your child the chance to make decisions: “What to would you do not. like to put away first?” http://www.scholastic.com/clifford/play/sortitout/sortitout.htm http://www.viewpure.com/HgYcSCg7Myk?ref=search

Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Letter Formation Skill: Wait for gratification Explanation: Our school district uses Handwriting Without Tears. Explanation: Sometimes we do not get what we want and/or Click on the following link to see the letter formation charts we need right away. Learning to be patient will help a child have will use: positive self-concept and friendship skills. https://www.lwtears.com/files/Letter%20Formation%20Charts.pdf Activities: Activities: • Model how to wait patiently while someone else is • Have your child finger paint individual letters using one of the having a conversation. Practice this at the dinner following ideas: table and when someone is talking on the phone. • Fill a Ziploc bag with hair gel or pudding. Seal the bag and • While waiting in line with your child at the grocery have your child practice printing the letters. store, sing songs or play I Spy. Talk about how and • http://crayonsandcutiesinkindergarten.blogspot.com/2015/10 /hair-gel-writing-practice-bags.html why waiting is important. • Give your child a box lid filled with a layer of salt or sand in • Practice waiting without using technology. The doctor’s which to write the letters office, a restaurant or in traffic are all great • Write letters on a piece of paper in dots. Have your child opportunities. Try singing songs, telling stories or even draw from do-to-do to complete the letters. having quiet time to imagine. • Have your child make letters with Play-doh. You can find letter • Play games such as Red Rover, Mother May I, Red mats at… Light/Green Light, and What Time is it Mr. Fox? http://kidzactivities.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Alphabet- Playdough-Mats.pdf http://aplaceofourown.org/activity.php?id=500 • Use cars to trace letters http://www.viewpure.com/XsC2W587_Fc?ref=search www.makinglearningfun.com/themepages/racecarabccards.htm

All by Myself Fun with Numbers Skill: Accepting Responsibility Skill: Recognize, extend, and copy patterns Explanation: Children in kindergarten will have jobs to complete Explanation: Through an understanding of patterns, independently. Some of the jobs are learning activities while children are able to make predictions about what comes next. others contribute to the classroom as a whole. Activities: Activities: • Make patterns with blocks, Legos, and toys

• Give your child jobs to do such as feed a pet, make a bed, etc. • Keep track of library books and return them on time. https://www.abcya.com/games/shape_patterns

Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Letter Sounds Skill: Following Directions Explanation: Letter sounds provide a foundation for learning how Explanation: Children will learn how to follow directions with to read. multiple steps. Activities: Activities: • Label a basket with letters and put toys in the basket with • Play Simon Says or the Hokey Pokey the corresponding initial sound. • Board Games: Chutes and Ladders, Candyland, Hi-Ho • Choose a letter and make a list of words that begin with Cheerio, Sorry, Twister that sound • Red Light, Green Light • Play I Spy and pick objects that begin with a certain sound • Use order words to give directions: first, next, last (I spy with my little eye something…). • Have the child restate the directions. • Game ideas: • Send child on a scavenger hunt to collect multiple https://www.prekinders.com/alphabet-letter-sounds/ items: • Pete the Cat activity (can substitute any book character): www.iammommahearmeroar.net/2011/03/spring-scavenger- www.pre-kpages.com/learning-letter-sounds-with-pete-the-cat hunt.html?m=1 All by Myself Fun with Numbers Skill: Safety and Scissors Skill: Identify numbers 0 - 10 Explanation: Children will need to know how to identify themselves Explanation: Recognizing numbers 0-10 will give your child and their contact information. Using scissors is an important fine an easy introduction into the world of math that is a part of motor skill to develop the muscles in the hand and fingers. the kindergarten curriculum Activities: Activities: • Know your first and last name • Hopscotch • Know your parents’/guardian’s names • Use number puzzles to name numbers • Learn at least one phone number (home or cell) • Recognize numbers on signs • Know your street name • Color by numbers • Identify and recognize family members www.nationalkindergartenreadiness.com/2011/01/color-by-number- • Open and close child safety scissors for-color-and-number-recognition • Make fringe on the edge of a piece of construction paper. • • Cut play-doh with scissors Dot to Dot pictures • Draw lines and curves on a paper and have your child practice https://www.thebalance.com/connect-dots-worksheets-

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Fun With Letters Fun With Friends Skill: Writing name with the first letter capital and Skill: Meet a new friend using the lowercase for the other letters. Explanation: Kindergarten student orientation is August 17

Explanation: The ability to print one’s name on school work gives from 9:00 – 10:00 am. Please come and meet your child’s the child a sense of identity, independence, and accomplishment. teacher, tour the school, make a new friend and ride the bus.

Activities: Activities: • Introduce Writing Names: • Mark your calendar! Please attend our http://tools.atozteacherstuff.com/printable-handwriting-practice- worksheet-maker/ Parent/Guardian Orientation on August 16 from

• Order letters to form name 6:30 – 8:00 pm at your child’s school • Recognize name in a list of words that begin with the same • Have your child practice introducing letter himself/herself to a new friend. “Hi, my name is • Letter Sort: letters in my name versus letters not in my ______. What is your name?” name • Encourage your child to start writing a letter from the top. • Print name on unlined paper first and then progress to lined paper. All by Myself Fun with Numbers Skill: Backpacks Skill: Number writing from 0-10

Explanation: Kindergarten children are expected to be able to Explanation: Forming numbers to represent what has open and close their regular-sized backpack independently, unpack been counted is an essential math skill. and pack all materials, and put their backpack on by themselves.

Activities: Activities: • Purchase a backpack without wheels that is big enough to • Refer to the poems that we use with Handwriting fit a binder Without Tears: • Practice opening and closing the backpack using the zipper. www.hwtears.com/files/HWT_Number%20Formation%20Chart.pdf • Label your child’s backpack, lunchbox, supplies, coat, etc • Practice printing numbers in dry Jell-O, shaving • Pack a Ziploc of extra clothes in case of spills and cream, with Play-doh, or other fun materials. accidents. Label the bag as well as the clothes.