Kindergarten: Milestones and Development Articles
Kindergarten Cooking: What Kids Learn
When kindergarteners help out in the kitchen, they're learning math, science, and reading. But they're also learning social skills, by working together to make the meal, sitting down together, and helping to clear their plates when they're finished.
Sugar and Spice: Why Rhyme Is So Nice
Rhyme is a staple of American childhood. Kids learn early on how Jack and Jill went up the hill and the Cat in the Hat came back. As kooky as these rhymes are, they may actually have a serious role in child development: research shows that rhyme is a powerful tool in helping children learn to read.
Backwards Letters: Could It Be Dyslexia?
When kindergarteners and first graders reverse letters, are they just hitting a natural bump, or is there something else at work? There's lots of misinformation out there when it comes to dyslexia. Here's advice from two experts on what you should worry about, and what you shouldn't.
Kindergarten Routines and Schedules...And Why They Matter
Circle Time. Readalouds. Walking in line: these classic kindergarten routines are the bread and butter of the kindergarten menu. How can you help your child adjust? Here's expert advice on how to set up routines at home that will empower your kids and help them in school, too.
Alternatives to Threats (Age 5)
With a defiant 5-year-old, we all snap and make threats, but you'll probably regret them later. Here is a handy chart of what you want, and how to say it better.
How a Kinder Thinks
Kindergarten, the first big step in your child's educational career. Your child might be a little nervous, and you might be, too! One way to fight those nerves is to understand your child's mental development, so you'll know not to sweat it if there's an idea he just doesn't understand yet.
Defiance: Why it Happens and What to Do About it (Age 5)
Unlike a younger child, your little rebel probably won't have a fit when you ask her to do something she dislikes. But she may pretend she didn't hear you or respond very s-l-o-w-l-y to your request.
There's No Place Like Home for Sex Education: 5 Years
If you want to be a child's first and best source on sexuality, sex education must start early. Here's how to approach the topic with your kindergartener.
Kindergarten Gardening: What Kids Learn
What do kids really gain from working and playing in the garden? Here are the skills that kindergarteners learn from all that digging.
Focus: The Big Challenge of Kindergarten
Reading, writing, and arithmetic are headline items in kindergarten, but there's a crucial skill that underlies success in all of them. It's a child's capacity for focus, and without enough of it--well, a young learner can get into big trouble. Read here to see how you can help.
- Reading, Writing, and Crossing the Midline
- Holiday Helper: Embellished Tote Bag
- Talking in Class
- Help Your Child Understand One-to-One Correspondence
- Healthy Store-Bought Lunch Box Snacks
- Stop! It's a hexagon!
- Foster Self-Regulation Skills with Games
- Make a Dreamcatcher
- School Avoidance
- Yarn Doll Family Fun
