In one of our recent posts, we talked about how parents and caregivers can help children get and stay ready for school over the summer by reading over the summer.
Reading is one of the best ways to get ready for school. But there are other (fun!) things that you can do as well. Here are a few of our favorite suggestions:
- Build math skills into your everyday activities by counting everything you see, commenting on the sizes and shapes of objects and making predictions. Find out more about how to do this here.
- Introduce your child to science by encouraging curiosity and trying some hands-on experiments!
- Get creative and make a mess!
- Practice basic self-care skills, like buttoning and zipping up clothes, so your child will be ready to be independent in kindergarten.
Getting ready for school does not have to involve expensive workbooks or lots of extra time. You can help you child learn lots of skills during your daily activities. You can also help your child build his social skills through (you guessed it) reading by asking feelings questions and naming emotions. We have examples of how to do this (and more) here.
And don’t forget to play! Kids can learn so much when they are active and engaged. And it is a great time for some parent-child bonding as well!
