My oldest son started kindergarten a few weeks ago.  It was a day filled with many emotions. Sadness, excitement, and joy for him. It was more emotional for me, as I watched him go into a new journey in his life.  He has been with me every day from the start.  It was hard, now it’s week three. And well, it’s still kind of hard.  We go to bed early, wake up early, and I try to spend time with my other kids during the hours he is at school. It’s pretty exhausting.  For some reason I imagined I’d have so much time to do things. Boy was I wrong.

Every day I pick him up and the anticipation of  hopes that he comes home with a sticker (which means he had a good day) and receive a good review from his teacher.  Not always the case, but It’s week three and he will get the hang of things.  But it’s been a learning experience for me as well, watching him learn at such a rapid pace is amazing.  I didn’t think he could grasp the information as quickly as he is and I’m impressed and proud of him.  

The back to school meeting provided information on what the expecations are for the year and their goals. It was a real eye opener to see how much work they actually do in Kindergarten! And it’s definitely nothing like when I was in school.  I remember kindergarten being full of play time, imagination, games, and painting. Now it’s all bases on academics, which is imporrtant don’t get me wrong.  I am all for early childhood education and I appreciate the hard work from all the teachers and staff.  It just seems but like a lot of work load for a five or six year old.  Initially I felt super overwhelmed because I assumed;

Kindergarten Rocks…Or so I thought. 

In case some of you don’t have any kids in kinder yet, this post is for you! coming from one mom to another I want to share with you a list of expectations the teachers and schools have from you child day one of kinder.  Yes that’s right, day one.  These tips will help you to give your child the necessary tools to have a successful year in Kindergarten. Ready? Here you go! You’ll thank me later.

 

1. Name writing.
   

   compositions books I purchased from Amazon.com

Now this doesn’t just mean they can write it all over the place, you have to show them how to write it neatly and properly.  I bought some kindergarten composition books from amazon and have been working with Isaac to write his name. They are required to write their name on every single paper they have.  It’s important they know that the first letter is capital and the rest are lowercase and where the letters go.  If your child already knows this, make sure you just practice to perfect this.  Because teachers expect them to know.

 

2. Alphabet and sounds.

Your child will begin learning to read in kinder.  I know it used to be 1^st and 2^nd grade, but now the standards are higher.  So they will initiate a test the second or third week of school to see how well your child knows the letters and sounds.  They must be able to recognize both lower and upper case letters. I use ABC mouse with my son, he loves it and doesn’t realize that he is learning.  This app is $7.99 a month but there are some free ones out there you can use that have similar principles for learning the alphabet.

 

3. Sight words

Our school breaks down the sight words into something called “rainbow words” they break it down by color.  They are expected to know 100 or more sight words by the end of kinder.  They also have to be able to put the words into sentences.  Let me give you an example; I see the fish.  Here is a great website with tons of resources and a list of all the sight words your child needs to learn. http://www.sightwords.com/sight-words/dolch/

I never knew how hard it would be to teach this.  So be prepared to find new ways to get creative in the teaching process.

 

 

4. Numbers 1-100

My son is able to count 1 to 20 with no issues.  At the meeting I attended I found that they need to know the numbers all the way to 100.  I am working on a number chart this week and I will post it up on my social media accounts to show you an example of it. It’s a great way for them to see a visual of the numbers every day.  They will also be required to know addition and subtraction by the end of kindergarten as well. 

 

5. Homework  

Our school gives homework packets on Monday and they are due on Friday.  The home work is very important because it gives your child a chance to practice their skills at home.  Here are a few tips for homework. Because I struggle with Isaac his attention and focus spans are very short and I need to always be one step ahead of him. 

1. Sit with your child. Don’t do the work for them.  Explain to them in detail what they need to do and make sure they do it. 
2. Do a homework chart at home or check list. Since my son is a kinesthetic learner it’s important I provide many visuals and allow him to touch and feel everything. For example, when he finishes his work, I will let him put a sticker on the chart.  This seems to work and give him a great incentive for completing his work.
3. Create a place for homework, whether it’s the kitchen table or a desk there needs to be a designated area with supplies for them to work. This is super important.
4. Give incentives for weekly homework completion. I do tickets for homework and behavior.  Every day when he comes home with good behavior in class, he gets a ticket also when he finishes homework.  Once he gets to 20 tickets we take him to buy a toy or take him somewhere of his choice.  This works really well.

And finally

 

6. Make it fun

This is a personal struggle for me.  Because it’s so much work and expectation from them, I feel I need to be extra hard on Isaac to do his best.  What I didn’t realize is I am slowly but surely turning him away from learning.  It’s so important to make everything a game and teach him in the process.  It’s not easy, I am not going to lie to you.  But you can do it, for your child.  Remember once he learns the basics everything else will fall into place.  This is supposed to be fun for him and you. 

 

I want to share with all of you my loyal followers  Isaac was diagnosed with ADHD in April.  It can be very difficult at times, however I like to look at all  the positive things of every situation. Surprisingly, this has been a blessing.   Isaac has taught me so much about myself as a mom.  He teaches me things I never knew I was capable of doing.  From patience to seeing the best in everything.  My husband I decided at this time we would not medicate him, but we are working with him and his behavior by communicating things to him so that he understands.  We have to push him a little harder, because he is going to have to work hard to overcome some of these obstacles.  So far he’s adapting better than I ever imagined he would.

If you have struggles similar to this with your child just remember to hang in there and know that something good will come out of this. Even if we don’t see it right away.  It’s so important to be optimistic and see the positive in all things.   

 

Well mommies I have really enjoyed sharing this with you.  And continue to stop by to see new posts like this and to follow my journey through the chaos, I mean motherhood! HAHA

Keep striving for mommy success!

 

Blessings,

Reina