Literacy Development
- Read your child books before bed, while waiting at the doctors office, after school or at other times throughout the day.
- Choose one letter and ask your child to find items in your home that start with that letter. Example: The letter Bb - blanket, brush, basket, boat, ball, bee, banana, bacon etc.
- Find small common words in signs, books, posters etc. Words like: it, is, in, if, the, and, all, me, you, my, we . . .
Numeracy Development
- By the end of Kindergarten your child should be able to count accurately out loud to 30. You can have them count just for fun, to see how long it takes to complete an activity, to bring something to the table, or when playing a game.
- Count objects. Children need to know how many objects there are so encourage them to line objects up in a row and count them. Teach them that each object gets only one number by pointing to the object they are counting. Have them count how many plates are at the dinner table, how many carrots you are putting out at the table, how many toys they have to put away . . .
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Skills
- Ask your child questions when reading a story. Questions as simple as who is in the story or where the story takes place. To more complex questions like asking why the main character decided to do or not do something and what might happen because of this decision.
- When your child does something inappropriate (i.e. taking a toy from someone) ask them why what they did was wrong and what other ways they could have solved the problem (i.e. asking to have a turn or getting a different toy).
