It’s July! Still plenty of time until school starts…right? Right! AND that means that there is still plenty of time to practice skills that will help your child be well-prepared for school.
While reading is one great way to help kids be ready for school, there are other “school skills” that you can start practicing with your child now. These include self-regulation, attention, social skills, and the ability to follow rules and routines. Here’s a list of some of our favorite posts that explain why these skills are important and how to help your child grow them. Pick one set of skills to work on each week this month and you will be getting your child ready for a strong start to the school year!
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elf-control– This is an important skill for learning because it helps your child be able to choose between different behaviors. It’s especially important when your child might have to decide whether to follow the routine of the classroom and listen to her teacher instead of talking with her friend. Or when a friend accidentally knocks over your child’s backpack and he has to choose between getting angry or shrugging his shoulders and saying “Oh well!”
Attention– Kids need to focus their attention a lot during the school day: on the teacher during class, on friends at recess, and on the other adults who give children directions during the day.
Check out this post for tips on helping children build their attention skills.
Sharing– Kids are expected to share a lot of things during the school day: their space, their materials, and even books and games. In order to build friendships and avoid creating arguments, your child needs to learn how to negotiate sharing with others.
Following rules and routines – To keep things flowing smoothly at school, there are rules and routines that all children will be expected to follow. This can be hard when kids are not used to these new rules and routines.
Check out this post for suggestions on helping children adapt to new rules and routines.
Following a new schedule – Children may have to get up earlier than they have before in order to get to school on time. The key to a good morning is a good bedtime routine so that they can be rested and refreshed. Start practicing this routine before school starts so that kids can be in the habit of getting a good night’s sleep.
Check out this post for tips on how to set up a fun, but restful, bedtime routine.
BONUS:
To help you remember these tips and to put it all together, we have created this infographic on getting ready for school. Download it and post it on your fridge and start checking off the steps to being ready for school today! Click here for the PDF: Steps to Getting Ready for School.
