Parent Checklist: Helping a Child Get Ready for Kindergarten

What can parents do to help a child get ready for kindergarten? Here's a checklist!:

___ Provide a daily routine that includes regular times for meals.

___ Establish a bedtime that gives your child eight or more hours of sleep at night.

___ See that your child has opportunities for rigorous physical activity, outside when possible, everyday.

___ Help your child select and wear clothing appropriate for indoor climate and outdoor weather conditions.

___ See that your child has had required immunizations and current health examination.

___ Help your child develop independence in dressing, eating and personal hygiene.

___ Interact frequently with your child each day by talking, listening and touching.

___ Take your child to a variety of places such as the library, the park, the grocery store, the post office.

___  Provide toys, games and household objects that encourage exploration, manipulation and dramatic play.        

___ Occasionally work with your child using the materials.

___ Provide opportunities to play with other children.

___ Teach socially acceptable ways to disagree.

___ Encourage social values such as helpfulness, cooperation, sharing, and concerns for others.

___ Demonstrate common expressions of courtesy and praise my child for using them (thank you, please).

___ Establish reasonable limits for behaviors and hold your child to them.

___ Talk with your child about your family, your culture and your values.

___ Provide opportunities for your child to learn about other cultures in your community.

___ Encourage work values such as effort, persistence, initiative.

___ Read to your child every day. Talk together about the pictures and story.

___ Provide books, magazines and other print materials for your child to handle.

___ Provide opportunities to play alphabet games, read alphabet books, and talk about letter names and sounds.

___ Provide pencils, markers, paper and encourage drawing and scribbling or writing.

___ Invite your child to help with grocery lists, grocery shopping, sending cards.

___ Read poems and sing songs together.