Dear Parents, - Chino Valley Unified School District



Dear Parents,

Welcome to Wickman’s Kindergarten Program! We are really looking forward to working with you and your child next year.

Kindergarten has changed over the past few years. The most significant change is that our programs are more challenging than in the past. In order to help your child be as prepared as they can be, we have put together some information that will help you. The first list is a kindergarten readiness checklist. The second part is a list of things you should work on with your child.

Is your child ready for Kindergarten?

Children mature and grow at different rates. Not all children are ready to begin school at the same time, regardless of their age. Below is a checklist (provided by ) of developmental skill levels based upon evidence of readiness in children. We hope that you will look it over and evaluate (in a general way) your child’s readiness.

1. Will your child be 5 when he/she enters kindergarten?

2. Can others easily understand your child when he/she speaks to them?

3. Does your child pay attention to a short story when it is read and can he/she answer simple questions about it?

4. Is your child able to draw and color a picture, beyond a scribble?

5. Is your child able to zip or button up his/her sweater or jacket?

6. Can your child tie a knot?

7. Is your child able to walk backwards for 5 to 6 feet?

8. Is your child able to stand on one foot for 5 to 10 seconds?

9. Is your child able to walk in a straight line?

10. Is your child able to fasten buttons he/she can see?

11. Is your child able to tell the left hand from the right?

12. Is your child able to take care of his/her toilet needs?

13. Is your child able to be away from his/her parents for about two to three hours without being upset?

14. Is your child able to cross a street safely?

15. Is your child able to repeat a series of 4 numbers without practice, such as, “Say after me, 8-3-5-1”?

16. Is your child able to repeat 8 to 10 word sentences if you say them one time? For example, “The girl ran all the way to the store for her mother.”

17. Is your child able to follow about 2 or 3 directions after being given them once, such as, “Bring me the book; walk to the window; close the door”.

18. Is your child able to give the last word to the following:

A fire is hot; ice is _____.

A jet goes fast, but a turtle goes_____.

Daddy is a man; Mommy is a ___________.

19. Is your child able to count 4 objects?

20. Is your child able to put together a simple puzzle?

21. Can your child tell what is missing if you draw a stick picture of a man and leave out eyes, or a leg or an arm?

22. Is your child able to draw or copy a square?

23. Can your child name a triangle, a square and a circle when he/she sees it?

24. Can your child name about 3 or 4 colors to which you point?

25. Can your child tell you what his/her eyes, ears and mouth are used for?

26. Is your child able to tell you in what way things are the same? (For example, how a sweater, shoe and hat are the same?)

27. Does your child take an interest in books or magazines around the house?

28. Have you attempted to create in your child the idea of looking forward to school rather than fear of school?

RESULTS:

Count the number of items you were able to answer with a "YES" response. Consult the table below for information relative to state of readiness for school.

Number of items answered "Yes" should be 26 to 28 (readiness assured)

Number of items answered "Yes" should be 22 to 25 (readiness probable)

Number of items answered "Yes" should be 18 to 21 (readiness questionable)

Number of items answered "Yes" should be 15 to 17 (Readiness doubtful)

Number of items answered "Yes" should be 13 or below (readiness Unlikely)

~Please keep in mind these are simply guidelines. If you have any concerns about your child's well being or readiness for school, contact Wickman Elementary, your pediatrician or other qualified professional.~

Things you can do to help prepare your child for Kindergarten

Help your child to recognize and name the upper case and lower case letters.

Flashcards are great for this. Show your child the letters, in random order, and have them tell you the name of the letter.

Help your child recognize the numbers from 0 to 10.

Use flashcards of the numbers. Show them the card and have them tell you the

number.

Help your child count out objects from 0 to 10.

Tell your child a number, or show them the number flashcard, and have them count out

that many objects. (Small toys, beans, or cereal are great for this.)

Read to your child often.

Read your child’s favorite book over and over again.

Read many stories with rhyming words or lines that repeat. Have your child join

in on those parts.

Point, word by word, as you are reading together. (This is called tracking print.)

As you read, stop and ask questions about the pictures and about what is

happening in the story.

Visit the public library.

The library may even have a story time!

Talk with your child.

Studies show that the more language a child hears, the larger their vocabulary and

the better they are prepared for school and for reading.

Label items around your home.

Teach your child what the labels say. This will help your child to understand that

words are made up of letters. (Even if your child cannot read all of the labels,

this is helpful.)

Teach your child to write their name.

Show them that the first letter is the only one with a capital.

Show them that their name is written from left to right.

Show them that the letters are made going from the top (or the middle) to the bottom.

Practice cutting things.

When you are helping your child, make sure their thumb is in the top hole of the

scissors.

An easy way to practice cutting is to draw lines on a paper and let them cut on the

lines. Use straight lines to start with then add in curves and corners.

Also, work with your child on understanding the need to follow directions when given. Many times children start school and they are unable to follow simple directions or they need the directions repeated many times. Practicing following directions at home will help them when they start school.

A great time to practice this is when you are doing house cleaning. Ask your

child to put things away or bring something to you. Start with a simple direction

such as “Please put your dirty clothes in the laundry basket.” Or “Please bring me

your dishes.” Work up to more complex directions such as “Please put your

napkin in the trash and bring me your plate.” or “Please put your toys in the box

and your books on the shelf.”

We hope that you find this information helpful as you prepare your child for their first day of school. Enjoy your time and we look forward to seeing you soon!

The Wickman Kindergarten Team

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