Parents Can Help With School Readiness

There are many things you can do at home with your preschooler to develop readiness skills for school. These include the following:

• read books to and with your child;
• spend time together - don't forget to play and cuddle!;
• follow a routine at home and stick to it;
• talk with your child, and don't use babytalk;
• encourage questions;
• read and count as you go about your day;
• have the alphabet and numbers posted in various places;
• allow time for creative play (unstructured, dress-up, self-talking, fantasy);
• model and insist upon respect and courtesy;
• have chores (if they can talk, they can do a chore!);
• set up play dates and watch how your child interacts with others;
• provide materials for creative expression: paper, crayons, clay, paint, etc.
• enjoy the journey! 

All of these ideas can occur organically - as you go about your own busy day. Children are hardwired to learn: we just need to set the table for the learning to happen.