I met Barbara when she attended our last Parent Blogger Unite event at the Neverland Tea Salon. I really enjoyed chatting with her, and invited her to guest post here on Crunchy Carpets. Caitlyn really liked her book 123 Kindergarten and has been using it as her base for ‘teaching’ Tara everything she needs to know for Kinder. Caitlyn must be a future teacher!
Do you have a child between the ages of new and 6 years old? Chances are that your little one will be going to kindergarten. But how about your child’s chances?
No matter if it’s a long time away or a very short time, there are things that you, as parents and caregivers, can do to help your child with early brain development and kindergarten readiness.
Parents and caregivers truly are children’s first teachers. And your children have been learning! You have been instrumental in helping your child learn to talk and to use language for learning. That’s a huge achievement. And helping your child learn to move in space. Of course, sometimes we wish they listened instead of talked and would just be still instead of the constant motion, but you have accomplished a tremendous amount already.
There are some quick and easy activities that you can do at home to support powerful learning. Since it’s just one word, please forgive the big letters: READ! Share lots of books. Along with the reading, TALK, sing, tell stories, and listen to stories and songs.
All of this is called a language bath and is massively important. To help you understand just how important, think of words as pennies, and each word that your child hears is a deposit in your child’s brain bank account. And just how big will your child’s brain bank account be by the time school starts? Get ready for this! About 45 MILLION words.
You do not have to turn your home into a preschool. Learning can piggy-back with the laundry: sort into colors; and the dishes: check out the different shapes. Count the steps to the car, hop or tiptoe down the hall, check out nature on the walk to the bus. These minutes will total up to all kinds of learning. Oh, and PLAY.
Parents and caregivers are a vital support for children’s early learning and development. School will build on what families have already started. Read, talk, and play. It’s like a lesson plan for life.
Barbara Allisen, also known as Mrs. A, is a teacher, parent, author, international speaker, and a radio host of the show, “Learn and Play with Mrs. A.”, Mondays at 9 a.m. on the RockStar Radio Network. For daily tips and suggestions on supporting your child’s early learning, check out 123kindergarten.com and Like 123kindergarten on FB. You can sign up for a free Developmental Checklist to help you navigate your child’s strengths and challenges.
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