March 2023 Special Needs Living Akron/Canton

THE GIANT LEAP TO KINDERGARTEN SETTING YOUR NEW KINDERGARTENER UP FOR SUCCESS

Special education experts at Julie Billiart Schools share tips to help families prepare their kindergartners for academic, social, and behavioral achievement.

SUBMITTED BY JULIE BILLIART SCHOOLS

Is your child ready to make the transition to Kindergarten?

Starting the educational journey with your child can feel overwhelming. Whether your child is starting kindergarten in his or her public school district or you’re considering a specialized environment, it is essential to understand whether or not your child is ready to make the leap and prepare him or her accordingly. It is important to consider:

• How to know if your child is ready for Kindergarten

• The elements of Kindergarten

• Transitioning your child to Kindergarten

• What to look for in a Kindergarten if your child has special needs

HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR CHILD IS READY FOR KINDERGARTEN

Most schools - both public and private - share certain milestones that are used to determine if your child is ready for school. These might include school readiness, academic readiness, basic social/communication skills, and basic play skills. These are things that can be easily and intentionally practiced at home. In fact, they are things that you probably already do in some form every day. Talk to your child’s preschool or current setting about how to best prepare him or her in these specific areas!

• School readiness - imitation skills, first/then contingency, basic instructions, waiting

• Academic readiness - attending skills, sitting for short periods of time, task completion, following group instructions

• Basic social/communication skills - making basic written or non-verbal requests, tolerating the presence of multiple same or similar-aged peers, identifying objects in his or her environment, Responding to bids for attention from adults and peers

• Basic play skills - tolerating others in their space, parallel play skills, basic interest in objects, manipulating toys as designed

THE ELEMENTS OF KINDERGARTEN

When considering if your child is ready for Kindergarten, you should consider what Kindergarten entails. Here is what your first year might look like.

• Whole group learning - can they work with others

• Individual work at their desks - can they be seated and focus on tasks and activities

• Examining reading skill setsvoice inflection, correspondence between pictures and words, word recognition

• Practicing comprehension skills - both inferential and literal comprehension

• Fine motor skillsincreased expectations with writing utensils (pencils, crayons, etc.)

TRANSITIONING YOUR CHILD TO KINDERGARTEN

If you’ve determined that your child is ready to start school, it’s important to create a healthy start for them. The spring and summer are valuable times to begin supporting your child’s transition to Kindergarten. This is an important time to investigate what your child’s future environment will look like and help them with organization, academics, and social skills. Reach out to your future school for ideas like reading, fine motor, math, writing, etc. They might be able to provide worksheets or programs for your child to practice before they start in the fall.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A KINDERGARTEN IF YOUR CHILD HAS SPECIAL NEEDS

If your child has special needs, it is important to find the right environment for them. Look for flexible seating, calming/sensory areas, breakout workspaces, and collaborative seating opportunities. From an academic perspective, play-based learning, centers that focus on academics, social, life skills, and the teacher’s process to go from parallel play to cooperative play. In your child’s classroom, the incorporation of visual supports and technology will also aid in their development and success.

If your child is ready to start their academic journey you have many options when it comes to Kindergarten. All families should find an environment that provides the structure and support their child needs to succeed. For expanded tips, check out Julie Billiart Schools’ free, recorded Kindergarten Readiness Series at www.juliebilliartschools.org/kindergarten.