Skills children should have before entering kindergarten By:

IVy l. CaRTUJano,

Teacher III Bula Integrated School Mambusao East District

There’s a lot to look forward to in kindergarten: new friends, new skills, and all-day fun! There’s also a lot to accomplish to prepare for the first day. It’s normal for your children to be nervous about going to school and establishing new friends. Nervousness is a common feeling. You may read books with your child to help them relax on their first day and put their best foot forward while meeting new people.

Learners are expected to know certain fundamental abilities, such as how to hold a pencil and write their first name, when the day arrives. It will take time to develop other abilities, such as writing short phrases using sight words. The year’s general goals are to help children develop strong pre-reading abilities, practice letter formation, improve their listening and communication skills, learn fundamental math concepts, and develop an active interest in the world.

They are expected to at least know a few letters of the alphabet. This way, their teachers can identify which activities they should work on more to improve the child’s identification of the alphabet. Being able to identify the letters of the alphabet also gives them the ability to write or spell out even just their first names. Holding a pen or a crayon may be difficult for some, but it would be a great start if they know how to do it properly. Kindergarten is all about writing the alphabet and drawings after all, So it would also be easier for the child if they know how to identify the names of a few basic colors as it would be one of the most common activity in the classroom.

Letter soundings is also a great way to start in kindergarten as it would be easier for the child to slowly begin reading short words and phrases. This could also help them recite their names, days of the week, months of the year, and their birthdays repeatedly. Knowing how to count from one to ten on their fingers could also help them remember how many days there are in a week.( Contributed article)