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If you have a child inching closer to kindergarten, or even a baby who will be in the coming years, you may find the term “kindergarten readiness” annoying and confusing. Isn’t kindergarten supposed to get kids ready for grade school? At least that’s what I thought.
But kindergarten is a critical foundational year, and you want to do your best to prepare your child for success. A “successful” year of kindergarten is one that not only arms kids with the essentials for academics but also builds their confidence and joy of learning. Because kindergarten success is so multifaceted, preparing for kindergarten is too. It’s not just about learning letters and numbers, but also about building social, personal-care skills. I know, it’s a lot.
Academic Readiness
- Letters and numbers - play games with your child that involve counting, read to them at least once a day, and help them sound out letters and words. The goal is to help them consistently identify letters, count with numbers, and recognize their written name.
- Scissors and crayons - help your child practice using safety scissors, and work with them to strengthen their pincher grip when coloring. There are lots of free templates online to help kids practice both cutting and coloring paper.
Personal Readiness
This one surprises some parents, but kindergarten teachers stress the importance of personal readiness.
- Chores/responsibilities - kindergarten teachers often assign kids tasks to help them learn a sense of responsibility. You can start this at home by assigning light chores they do on a regular basis.
- Getting dressed - give your child more opportunities to dress themselves. In the classroom, they’ll need to take shoes, jackets, and sweaters on and off, as well as bottoms in the bathroom.
- Bathroom independence - this is an area you may not hear about often but it is a big frustration for teachers. Kids need to be able to go #1 and #2 on their own, wipe themselves clean, flush, and then wash their hands unprompted. Not to mention pull their undies and pants back on without help.
Click to find out which social skills your child needs to practice for kindergarten.
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PARENTING BUZZ: It's giving... lawsuit
- Moms are still experiencing pregnancy-related discrimination at work - The 19th reports on the continuing prevalance of pregnancy discrimination. A Bloomberg Law analysis found that federal pregnancy discrimination lawsuits have been on the rise in recent years. “I once heard that bias against mothers is sort of the open secret, and I thought that was really apt,” said Liz Morris, the deputy director of the Center for WorkLife Law.
- Moderate physical activity may improve mental health in teens - Researchers in Finland studied 13,000 teens 15 and 16 years old and noted the odds of depression and anxiety were 22% and 32% lower, respectively, with as little as 30 minutes of moderate physical activity. Strangely, the walk or bike ride to and from school didn’t contribute at all to this improvement.
- Fentanyl deaths are way up among U.S. teens - 1,500 teens and kids died from a fentanyl overdose in 2021, 4x the deaths in 2018. Experts say teens are accidentally ingesting fentanyl when it’s laced into other drugs.
If you're interested in getting involved to demand common sense gun reform, please take a look at Moms Demand Change.
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FOR MOMS WHO WANT THAT #SOFTLIFE
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This is your regular reminder to you to tell your family EXACTLY what you want this Mother’s Day. If what you want is a day off, make that crystal clear. If you want some soft luxury, check these out:
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Super Plush Robe
Brooklinen
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Slip Large Silk Scrunchies
3 pieces
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Mulberry Silk Pillowcase
1 piece
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This information is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. We do not accept any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from any informationor advice contained here. Goji may earn compensation from affiliate links in this content.
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