Kindergarten Success Secrets Cheat Sheet
Top 10 Often Forgotten Areas to Focus on NOW to Help Your Child Succeed in School for the Future:
1. Getting Along With Other Kids
Ok…this might seem silly, but it is one of the very most important developmental aspects for kids for school (and life) success. Does your child make friends easily, knows how to share, and is able to use words to describe feelings? These seemingly simple tasks are super important to help your child be able to enjoy school. And…enjoying school is incredibly important. If a child does not like school, he/she is not incredibly likely to want to work hard at it.
I mean, think about yourself. Do you work harder on something you enjoy, or something that you don’t want to do?
The best way to grow these skills is to get out and help your child meet other kids! Go to library story times, go to the playground, join playgroups, kid’s classes, etc. You cannot force your child to join in, but the more he/she is around other kids, the better for this!
Try hard not to manage every aspect of your child interacting with others. The point here is for him/her to work on getting along with other kids on their own…because you are NOT going to be in kindergarten together.
2. Emotional Strength
Children who are emotionally strong will succeed in just about anything in life! Life is not always perfect. We don’t always get the color of scissors we wanted, or the chair we were hoping for, or that spot in line we were wanting.
The important part is what a child does when they don’t get what they were wanting. Do they blow it off, give up and be sad, or have an enormous fit (or anything in between)? This is going to really affect how their days in school go.
Now, you cannot change who your child fundamentally is, but you CAN help develop this aspect somewhat. I’m certain that you already know how your child typically reacts. The most helpful thing you can do is to help your child learn to stay calm in just about any situation, and use his/her words (instead of hitting/screaming/grabbing/etc).
3. Listening
Alright…this one should be pretty obvious. If you want your to children to learn, then they need to be able to listen and focus. Over the many years I have been teaching, it always proves true that the kids who are able to listen and focus, are the ones that learn the most. If they are constantly distracted, it doesn’t really matter what a teacher is saying or doing – they will miss it.
The best way to help your child with this is to have more quiet time in the day. Slowing down, decreasing screen exposure, getting out more in nature….these simple changes can do a world of wonder for a child’s brain (and yours!). This is one of the biggest switches I wish more parents would make. Over the last ten years, I have noticed a large decrease in focus for children over all – and I am close to certain it really has to do with the faster pace of society as a hole AND screen exposure for sure. You can easily implement this change starting today.
4. Sharing
Oh boy…this is the BIGGEST social issue we see working with young kids. It does not matter how many trucks, or blocks, or dolls, or whatever we have, everyone will always want the same exact one. I mean seriously! It is the most interesting thing to watch.
To work on this, the best thing to do is to teach kids to USE THEIR WORDS. This goes for both the child who wants to grab the toy from the other, and the one who is currently using the toy. If either one does not use words, it often ends up badly. The best way to teach this is by modeling and reminding them to use their words over and over…. “Did you use tell/ask him/her _______?”
5. Self-Care
This is different than adult self-care (I’m not talking about bubble baths and meditation). What I mean here is, basic life skills for kids. You have no idea what a huge confidence boost it is for a child when he/she can do basic things on their own such as putting on a jacket/shoes, opening and closing their backpack, going to the bathroom easily….etc, etc. If you find yourself constantly helping your child with these tasks to speed things up, or you feel bad because they seem hard for them, STOP IT. You will only make their future harder.
You want to help by teaching your child how to do it. That is what will be beneficial. Not only will it help boost your child’s confidence, but it will also help the teacher’s sanity. The less little people that are all asking for help, the smoother class time will go. And a happy teacher is a very good thing!
6. Physical
Children around kindergarten age become quite aware of what different kids can do. They start to notice if everyone else can swing on their own, climb the pole, ride a bike, etc, etc. Give your child a head start in this department by getting outside and doing all these fun things!
Not only will it help their confidence, but it will also benefit them in soooo many other ways!! Did you know that swinging and bouncing actually helps the brain development better in ways that help a child with academic tasks like reading and writing in the future? So, get to the park for better grades!
7. Fine Motor
Obviously, kids will need to be able to write in kindergarten. (At least for now…one day it may be typing only – but we are not there yet!) Some children naturally love writing, but this is NOT the case for many little ones.
Luckily, you can help make this easier! And it’s likely NOT what you think you need to do. I do not actually suggest lots of writing practice to help a child get really good at writing. Instead, I recommend doing a lot of hand strengthening activities like playdough, scissor cutting, necklace beading, little Legos, and anything where they have to have hand strength and control OTHER than writing. Make it fun!
8. Creativity
Children who are more creative can better solve problems on their own and will enjoy doing school projects much more. Kids who are taught that there is always one right way to do things, will be afraid to think on their own and will be constantly looking for approval from others (this will be super bad in the teens years, too!!).
Once again, one way to solve this is to allow lots of FREE time. The more of this that can be done outside away from electronics is best. Let them play with sticks and rocks to build things. Provide more open-ended toys like blocks and other building items. And try REALLY hard to not make any judging comments when they are being creative – positive or negative. Let your child decide how to feel about what they are doing or making.
9. Problem Solving
Ok, this is related to the above topic…but goes a bit wider. Sometimes life can be challenging. We don’t always get what we want, climbing on the play structure can be hard, figuring how to make a block tower stay up can be frustrating…many things can go wrong.
As a loving parent, you may feel like the nice thing to do is to rush in and “help” your child by solving the problem for them. Unfortunately, that completely robs your child of the chance to find their own solution – and ultimately gain that proud feeling of being able to do it on their own! When safe, let your child fail, try again, and eventually succeed. Think about how great you feel when you are able to solve something that was challenging. Let your child have this pleasure, too.
10. Internal Joy
Most children naturally start out joyful in life. All they want are their basic needs met. Then, society comes in and changes what they “should” want and need through all sorts of advertising and influence.
Luckily, you can help your child find that true, inner joy again. Just imagine what a difference that could make for their entire life. There are many simple things you can do to help grow inner happiness. One of the easiest is to constantly focus on anything you and them can be grateful for. After all, we get more of what we think about. We can choose to focus on everything that is going wrong…or all of the things that are going right! Which do you want more of???
EXTRA POINTS BONUS TIP: Give your child LOTS of unconditional love!!! Hugs, undistracted attention, asking about his/her feelings. Above ALL else, this is the very most important. When a child knows they are unconditionally loved, the rest of life isn’t so bad…even when they get the wrong color crayon J
I can’t wait for you to begin implementing these! If you want any more suggestions or examples of how to work on any of these areas, feel free to reach out to me at: [email protected] for more specific resources for exactly what you want help with!
With Joy & Love,
Jennifer
Top 10 Often Forgotten Areas to Focus on NOW to Help Your Child Succeed in School for the Future:
1. Getting Along With Other Kids
Ok…this might seem silly, but it is one of the very most important developmental aspects for kids for school (and life) success. Does your child make friends easily, knows how to share, and is able to use words to describe feelings? These seemingly simple tasks are super important to help your child be able to enjoy school. And…enjoying school is incredibly important. If a child does not like school, he/she is not incredibly likely to want to work hard at it.
I mean, think about yourself. Do you work harder on something you enjoy, or something that you don’t want to do?
The best way to grow these skills is to get out and help your child meet other kids! Go to library story times, go to the playground, join playgroups, kid’s classes, etc. You cannot force your child to join in, but the more he/she is around other kids, the better for this!
Try hard not to manage every aspect of your child interacting with others. The point here is for him/her to work on getting along with other kids on their own…because you are NOT going to be in kindergarten together.
2. Emotional Strength
Children who are emotionally strong will succeed in just about anything in life! Life is not always perfect. We don’t always get the color of scissors we wanted, or the chair we were hoping for, or that spot in line we were wanting.
The important part is what a child does when they don’t get what they were wanting. Do they blow it off, give up and be sad, or have an enormous fit (or anything in between)? This is going to really affect how their days in school go.
Now, you cannot change who your child fundamentally is, but you CAN help develop this aspect somewhat. I’m certain that you already know how your child typically reacts. The most helpful thing you can do is to help your child learn to stay calm in just about any situation, and use his/her words (instead of hitting/screaming/grabbing/etc).
3. Listening
Alright…this one should be pretty obvious. If you want your to children to learn, then they need to be able to listen and focus. Over the many years I have been teaching, it always proves true that the kids who are able to listen and focus, are the ones that learn the most. If they are constantly distracted, it doesn’t really matter what a teacher is saying or doing – they will miss it.
The best way to help your child with this is to have more quiet time in the day. Slowing down, decreasing screen exposure, getting out more in nature….these simple changes can do a world of wonder for a child’s brain (and yours!). This is one of the biggest switches I wish more parents would make. Over the last ten years, I have noticed a large decrease in focus for children over all – and I am close to certain it really has to do with the faster pace of society as a hole AND screen exposure for sure. You can easily implement this change starting today.
4. Sharing
Oh boy…this is the BIGGEST social issue we see working with young kids. It does not matter how many trucks, or blocks, or dolls, or whatever we have, everyone will always want the same exact one. I mean seriously! It is the most interesting thing to watch.
To work on this, the best thing to do is to teach kids to USE THEIR WORDS. This goes for both the child who wants to grab the toy from the other, and the one who is currently using the toy. If either one does not use words, it often ends up badly. The best way to teach this is by modeling and reminding them to use their words over and over…. “Did you use tell/ask him/her _______?”
5. Self-Care
This is different than adult self-care (I’m not talking about bubble baths and meditation). What I mean here is, basic life skills for kids. You have no idea what a huge confidence boost it is for a child when he/she can do basic things on their own such as putting on a jacket/shoes, opening and closing their backpack, going to the bathroom easily….etc, etc. If you find yourself constantly helping your child with these tasks to speed things up, or you feel bad because they seem hard for them, STOP IT. You will only make their future harder.
You want to help by teaching your child how to do it. That is what will be beneficial. Not only will it help boost your child’s confidence, but it will also help the teacher’s sanity. The less little people that are all asking for help, the smoother class time will go. And a happy teacher is a very good thing!
6. Physical
Children around kindergarten age become quite aware of what different kids can do. They start to notice if everyone else can swing on their own, climb the pole, ride a bike, etc, etc. Give your child a head start in this department by getting outside and doing all these fun things!
Not only will it help their confidence, but it will also benefit them in soooo many other ways!! Did you know that swinging and bouncing actually helps the brain development better in ways that help a child with academic tasks like reading and writing in the future? So, get to the park for better grades!
7. Fine Motor
Obviously, kids will need to be able to write in kindergarten. (At least for now…one day it may be typing only – but we are not there yet!) Some children naturally love writing, but this is NOT the case for many little ones.
Luckily, you can help make this easier! And it’s likely NOT what you think you need to do. I do not actually suggest lots of writing practice to help a child get really good at writing. Instead, I recommend doing a lot of hand strengthening activities like playdough, scissor cutting, necklace beading, little Legos, and anything where they have to have hand strength and control OTHER than writing. Make it fun!
8. Creativity
Children who are more creative can better solve problems on their own and will enjoy doing school projects much more. Kids who are taught that there is always one right way to do things, will be afraid to think on their own and will be constantly looking for approval from others (this will be super bad in the teens years, too!!).
Once again, one way to solve this is to allow lots of FREE time. The more of this that can be done outside away from electronics is best. Let them play with sticks and rocks to build things. Provide more open-ended toys like blocks and other building items. And try REALLY hard to not make any judging comments when they are being creative – positive or negative. Let your child decide how to feel about what they are doing or making.
9. Problem Solving
Ok, this is related to the above topic…but goes a bit wider. Sometimes life can be challenging. We don’t always get what we want, climbing on the play structure can be hard, figuring how to make a block tower stay up can be frustrating…many things can go wrong.
As a loving parent, you may feel like the nice thing to do is to rush in and “help” your child by solving the problem for them. Unfortunately, that completely robs your child of the chance to find their own solution – and ultimately gain that proud feeling of being able to do it on their own! When safe, let your child fail, try again, and eventually succeed. Think about how great you feel when you are able to solve something that was challenging. Let your child have this pleasure, too.
10. Internal Joy
Most children naturally start out joyful in life. All they want are their basic needs met. Then, society comes in and changes what they “should” want and need through all sorts of advertising and influence.
Luckily, you can help your child find that true, inner joy again. Just imagine what a difference that could make for their entire life. There are many simple things you can do to help grow inner happiness. One of the easiest is to constantly focus on anything you and them can be grateful for. After all, we get more of what we think about. We can choose to focus on everything that is going wrong…or all of the things that are going right! Which do you want more of???
EXTRA POINTS BONUS TIP: Give your child LOTS of unconditional love!!! Hugs, undistracted attention, asking about his/her feelings. Above ALL else, this is the very most important. When a child knows they are unconditionally loved, the rest of life isn’t so bad…even when they get the wrong color crayon J
I can’t wait for you to begin implementing these! If you want any more suggestions or examples of how to work on any of these areas, feel free to reach out to me at: [email protected] for more specific resources for exactly what you want help with!
With Joy & Love,
Jennifer
