Kansas City Northland School Releases Back to School Tips for Moms
Posted by: Noel Hundley
These tips are written by Mandy Frayer, curriculum director at Smithville Montessori School, in Smithville, Missouri.
The school season is almost here. Smithville Montessori Academy summarizes skills that kindergartners and first graders are expected to have and tips to get your kids ready for a new start.
What does my child need to be “ready” for school?
• Children need to be socially and emotionally ready for school. This is one of the most important areas of readiness for children. Children need to be able to cooperate with their peers in group situations and activities. Children also need to be able to control their impulses and be able to relate to non-family authority figures.
• Children need to have acquired motor skills. Motor skills include large muscle activities necessary for walking in a straight line and throwing a ball. Motor skills also include small muscle skills such as drawing, coloring, cutting, and beginning handwriting.
• Children need to be cognitively and intellectually ready for school. Intellectual readiness is a term used to describe the learning skills a child needs to make a smooth transition into school. These skills include knowledge of colors, numbers through 10, at least some of the letters of the alphabet (e.g. particularly the letters in his/her name), and shapes. Other skills that children need are the ability to assemble simple puzzles, answer questions about his/her environment (e.g. how many legs does this spider have?), and understand similarities (e.g. how are an apple and an orange alike?), differences (e.g. how is an apple different from an orange?), and opposites (e.g. ice cream is cold, coffee is hot).
• Children need to be curious and eager to learn. Our children will be most successful if they learn to ask questions, think independently, and be creative. Our children need to be curious about the world, interested in how things work, and know how to creatively approach problems. So, if your child asks you a question like, “Do mosquitoes sleep?”, resist the urge to answer (you may not know anyway!) or to give them the answer right away. Instead try asking them, “What do you think?” or “Where do you think we could find the answer to that question?” By doing this, you are encouraging them to think for themselves. This also helps build a child’s self-esteem!
What can I do to help my child be ready for school?
• Encouraging their curiosity about the world they live in. For example, if you are on a walk with your child and spot a cocoon, ask your child what they think it is. Discuss with them the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. You may even want to watch the cocoon with your child over the next few days. Then, the next time you see a butterfly with your child, ask them if they remember where butterflies come from. This type of dialogue with your child stimulates curiosity. It encourages them to ask questions about the world they live in and it helps prepare them for school.
• Reading to our children so they discover the joys of hearing stories, learning about the world, and using their imagination. You can even start reading to your child in-utero, before the baby’s even born! Young children love being read to and looking at picture books. You can encourage their language development by asking them to describe the pictures to you. As they get older, children enjoy turning the pages of the book as you read to them. This engages them in the story. To encourage your child’s social and emotional development, you can also ask them questions like “How do you think that made him feel?” or “How would you feel if something like this happened to you?”
What characteristics do I need to look for in an early education center to make sure my child will be exposed to what he or she needs?
There are two critical concepts for how a child learns:
1. Children learn best when they are developmentally ready, which is NOT necessarily predicted by a child’s chronological age, and
2. Children learn best in enjoyable environments that provide positive feedback.
So, look for an environment that:
• Follows your child’s lead in terms of when they are ready to learn
• Focuses on learning in a positive, fun, well prepared environment
• Builds social-emotional skills, motor skills, and intellectual skills
• Encourages children to ask questions and be curious about the world
• Works with you around your child’s individual characteristics and needs
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Tags: academic, academy, bank deposit days, best private schools, best school, best schools in missouri, child and education, child development, child development curriculum, child development learning. Child development school, child development preschool, child development stages, child social development, childcare, childcare development, childhood education, children, coins, curriculum, deposit, deposit in account, deposit slips, development of child, discovery montessori, Dollar Bill Savings Program, dr montessori, early childhood development education, early childhood education, early childhood education classes, early childhood education course, early childhood education curriculum, early childhood education program, early childhood education programs, early childhood education school, early childhood education schools, early learning, education, elementary schools in missouri, emotional child development, find pre school, hands on learning, http://smithvilleacademy.com/, Infant/Toddler, k 12 academy, kindergarten, kindergarten education, kindergarten private school, learning, local school, Mandy Frayer, mini bank, Missouri, missouri elementary schools, missouri private schools, missouri school, missouri school district, missouri schools, mo schools, money, montesori, Montessori, montessori activities, montessori approach, montessori at home, montessori catalog, montessori certification, montessori child development, montessori children, montessori classroom, montessori classrooms, montessori course, montessori courses, montessori curriculum, montessori day school, Montessori early childhood education, montessori education, montessori elementary, montessori furniture, montessori in Missouri, montessori infant, montessori info, montessori Internationale, montessori kindergarten, montessori language, montessori learning, montessori learning center, montessori lessons, montessori materials, montessori math, montessori method, montessori philosophy, montessori practical, montessori practical life, montessori pre k, montessori pre school, montessori preschool, montessori preschool curriculum, montessori private schools, montessori product, montessori program, montessori programs, montessori pros, montessori research, montessori reviews, montessori schoolhouse, montessori schools, montessori sensorial, montessori services, montessori supply, montessori system, montessori teacher, montessori teachers, montessori teaching, montessori theory, montessori toddler, montessori tools, montessori toys, montessori world, morally, opportunity for children to open a savings account, Platte Valley, Platte Valley Bank, Platte Valley Bank mo, pre k, pre school, prep school, Preprimary, preschool, preschool education, preschools, Primary, private elementary, private elementary school, private elementary schools, private kindergarten, private preschools, private schools in missouri, saving account, savings account, School-Age, schools in missouri, SMA, Smithville Director of Curriculum, smithville elementary school, Smithville Montessori Academy, Smithville Montessori Academy’s Dollar Bill Savings Program, smithville schools, socially, Staff Development, step by step montessori, summer, summer curriculum, the montessori method, toddle education