Reading With Your Child
We all know how to read to books to our children, but are we maximizing learning with our read alouds?
Please click here or on the picture below to watch this informative video on ways to help build great reading skills in preparation for Kindergarten.
Please click here or on the picture below to watch this informative video on ways to help build great reading skills in preparation for Kindergarten.
Reading to your child is the MOST important thing that you can do to help prepare them for Kindergarten! Don't just read to them though, read with them!
Did you know?
Having books in the home is twice as important as the father’s education level. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 2010
Children who are “well-read-to” (at least five times a week), when asked to tell a story, used more literary language than unread to children, and they used more sophisticated syntactic forms, longer phrases, and relative clauses. They were also better able to understand the oral and written language of others – an important foundation for the comprehension skills that will develop in the coming years. Wolf, M. (2007). Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain. New York: Harper Perennial.
Books contain many words that children are unlikely to encounter frequently in spoken language. Children’s books actually contain 50% more rare words than primetime television or even college students’ conversations. The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease.
37% of children arrive at kindergarten without the skills necessary for lifetime learning. Landry, S. H. (2005). Effective Early Childhood Programs: Turning Knowledge Into Action. Houston, TX: University of Texas, Health Science Center at Houston.
Click on the picture below to download your child's first Kindergarten Bookmark!
Here is a fun song that you can sing after you read the stories.
Have fun reading and singing!
Connecting Learning with Everyday Life
Learning is best when it is connected to events that the child can relate to. Shopping at the store, cooking in the kitchen or even when you are driving are great opportunities to make a learning connection! Please click here for a list of ideas.
Summer Movement Activities
It is the summer! Keep moving and don't forget to play! Click here for fun ideas and resources for your child.
Social Emotional Resources
At Scotts Ridge we practice the Zones of Regulation.
Click here to print out the poster. We all feel frustrated, anger, sad, worried or scared at times. It is ok to feel those emotions, however we learn best when we are calm, happy and focused. At Scotts Ridge we work on using strategies to help get our emotions back into the green learning zone. You can start by using the terminology with your child and work on the toolbox strategies they can use if they are experiencing any of the yellow or red zone feelings. Click Here on ways to help your child socially and emotionally prepare for Kindergarten . This takes you to a free unit to help with social emotional needs. Available in Spanish and English. |
Letters and Sound Resources
In Wake County, we use the phonics program Letterland. This phonics program ties a character to each letter. It is a fun and easy way to learn the letters. Click on the pictures below for some fun engaging resources that can help reinforce letters and sounds. We have included the letterland mega mix song and letter flashcards.
There is even a movie that they can watch about Letterland!
YouTube.com type in The Letterland Story to watch. This would be a perfect rainy day activity and help get them excited to learn all about the characters! The faster children learn the letters and sounds the faster they will be reading!
Click here or the below picture for the Letterland songs! Click below for the Letterland Flashcards
Letterland Movement Video Letterland songs
Listening Comprehension Resources
Listening Comprehension is very important and is a precursor to reading comprehension. Studies have shown that children who are good listeners often grow up to become good communicators. It's an important skill to develop at an early age and, like a muscle, it needs regular exercise to grow stronger.
Children with listening comprehension difficulties face serious learning challenges and are much more likely to fall behind their peers as they progress through school (Field, 2001; Mendelsohn & Rubin, 1995; Schwarts, 1998).
“Listening is a crucial skill for young children to acquire. Listening is one of the basic building blocks of language and communication and particularly in the early years of education, one of the main vehicles for a child’s learning.” Eleanor Johnson
Click here for a resource that focuses on listening comprehension.
Click here for tips on how to improve your child's listening comprehension.
Children with listening comprehension difficulties face serious learning challenges and are much more likely to fall behind their peers as they progress through school (Field, 2001; Mendelsohn & Rubin, 1995; Schwarts, 1998).
“Listening is a crucial skill for young children to acquire. Listening is one of the basic building blocks of language and communication and particularly in the early years of education, one of the main vehicles for a child’s learning.” Eleanor Johnson
Click here for a resource that focuses on listening comprehension.
Click here for tips on how to improve your child's listening comprehension.
Thank you for being such a great support in your child's education. Feel free to look through all the other Resources in the Resource tabs to gain information about the Kindergarten Standards. We can definitely tell you that Kindergarten is NOT how you remember it. So much has changed and is expected of five year olds. We can't wait to see your child in the Fall.