Independent Skills

Your children have made the jump to Kindergarten! They are expected to do more on their own now, whether it's going to the bathroom themselves, or opening their own milk carton. You can help by encouraging independence at home!

The following are skills that are particularly important for Kindergarten: 

1. Personal Belongings: Children need to be able to unpack their backpacks, turn in important papers/ mailbags DAILY and keep track of their supplies/ lunches.  No one expects them to walk in the door on the first day and do this perfectly, but children who can already do similar things at home are a lot more successful and feel a lot more comfortable in Kindergarten.

2. Zippers, Buttons, Shoes: Helping to teach your children how to dress and undress themselves helps them feel confident. Keep practicing coats, shoes, zippers and buttons at home! Don't forget to allow a few extra minutes of dressing time! It takes practice and patience but the end result will leave you both with smiles :)

3. Lunches: Your life is hectic enough without dealing with the hassle of packing your kids’ lunches every day, only to have them reject half of what you so lovingly selected for them. What’s the solution? Have them pack lunches with you. Give them a few healthy choices and by deciding what to put in their own lunch, your kids are more likely to eat it and more importantly, it saves you time. Whatever your child does not eat during school hours, we make sure to send it home with them so you know how much or how little your child ate that day. If something comes back untouched, talk to your child to see if they dislike what you are sending because this may be the case! To solve this problem, pack lunches together! Make it fun, they will enjoy the experience and independence.  Prepare bite size dishes, cut sandwiches into halves or quarters to make it easier for  your child to pick up and eat with their little hands. Also, making sure they know how to open their water bottle or juice box and tear, unsnap, unzip all of the containers inside makes the day go much more smoothly.  Try out new items at home first and don’t send them in until you know your child can open them alone.

We are so proud of your children! They are learning and discovering their growing independence each day!

PARENTS, we thank and appreciate your continued support!!!

The Kindergarten Team