You may feel your child is prepared for their journey into formal education as you start looking for kindergartens to enroll them in. However, some important skills may still be amiss which could greatly hinder their progress and cause them to fall behind in the classroom.
Kindergartens today offer an all-inclusive learning curriculum which focuses on early learning requirements of children and helps development through play-based learning. Some top-notch kindergarten schools Dubai implement immaculate methodologies and use technologically advanced learning facilities for children to help children learn.
Despite all that, your child should be well versed in the following few skills listed below:
ABCs!
Most kindergartens prefer enrolled students being able to write their name at least. Encourage them to learn the alphabets and also teach them to write their names.
- You can either use play dough for the purpose of carving out letters and alphabets or use dotted alphabets which they can write over to learn the alphabets. Using play dough and colorful lettering allows them to develop sound motor skills and also makes reading and writing fun.
Promote color knowledge in your child by identifying different colors that their cartoon characters are wearing, the vegetables on their plate and the color of the milk they’re drinking.
- Identify shapes for your child and ask your child to look for household items that look similar to the shape or similar to a color that you just showed them.
- Cut out shapes and help they group similar ones. For example, ask your child to pile up all squares or all red shapes. Move up a level by asking them to group all "red squares."
- When teaching your child to cut, always hand them child-friendly scissors. Draw out straight lines on paper and ask them to cut along the lines.
- Similarly, draw shapes on paper and allow your children to cut them out different shapes. Once your children have mastered cutting out basic shapes, use magazines to allow them to cut out their favorite pictures and in order to pique their interest, allow them to paste them in the form of a collage.
- Purchase magnetic boards or use refrigerator magnets in order to teach your child the alphabets. Allow them to move the letters around to form words.
- Write down a couple of short words on a piece of paper or on the magnetic board and ask your child to point out words that begin with specific letters.
Numbers make up an essential part of the kindergarten curriculum which is why it is essential that your child know their numbers. Ensure their participation in chores that help them count. For example:
- If you’re arranging groceries, count the number of items with your child. Not only is it a good way to learn numbering but children also learn the names of vegetables and names of different colors.
There’s a lot involved in reading. Although your child may not be ready to say the words, reading out to your child can help them learn.
Make the reading interesting by combining it with teaching:
- Look for longer words and help them chalk out the number of syllables by clapping the syllables out.
- Play word games with your children to help them learn how to pronounce certain words by separating the beginning and the ending of a word. For example, say f-an and let your child guess the word you’re trying to pronounce.
- In an attempt to promote reading, let your child choose the type of book they'd want you to read out to them.Make sure you have an assortment of books that they can choose from including rhyming books, alphabets, picture books or simple storybooks.
Since your child will be communicating with new teachers and children, it is always a good idea to let them socialize way ahead of time. Let them socialize with children their age at parks, birthday parties or other events. Help them with problems they might be facing when interacting with other kids.
Although well-reputed kindergarten schools in Dubai focus on providing the best learning opportunities for children, homes remain the earliest educational institutions which is why parents are guardians should focus on teaching basic skills to future kindergartners to ensure they don’t fall behind!
