Kindergarten Kickstart: Literacy Skills

When I started school I remember sitting in the living room while my dad told me all the things I needed to know about starting school. Things like ‘You’ll get to eat lunch with your friends’ and ‘You don’t let anyone pick on you because you’re small’ and ‘Don’t show your underwear to anyone, especially not boys’ {I specifically remember this one because I said, “Yeah but what if I flip upside down on the monkey bars and I am wearing a dress?” - I already had that kindergarten what-if thing down.} Besides the underwear thing, the advice I remembered and considered most important was this, “Jaz, learn how to read. Because if you learn how to read, you can do anything.” 

Of course, me and my smart self was all, “Well, you don’t have to read to know how to do math.” But he insisted that reading was the key to it all. In hindsight I see that he was right {always}. 

Reading unlocks the world, can be an escape - a vacation for the mind, grows and encourages imagination, and so much more. Once you learn to read, you can never again look at a word and not read it. And that is just the coolest thing ever. 

If you have an extra 10 minutes, check out this article by author Neil Gaiman: Why our future depends on libraries, reading and daydreaming. 

Before we talk literacy skills, first know that literacy isn’t just reading. It’s also understanding, interacting with, and responding to texts. Writing is part of literacy. It’s a way for children to respond and communicate - it gives them power to take a word that’s in their heads and put it on paper instead of always reading what someone else writes. So what does your child need literacy-wise to be ready for Kindergarten?

To correctly use a pair of safety scissors to cut paper. 

What does this have to do with literacy? Well, I am glad you asked! Using scissors is a prerequisite to being able to write - it strengthens the hand muscles. It also takes a bit of mental endurance and determination to cut on a line and not cut corners. This mental skill is used when reading a word or sentence; you can’t just read the first letter and know the whole word. You must stick with it to the end. Here is a GREAT blog post about scissor skills! 

Trace a dotted line to make a picture or letter. 

By the time your child starts kindergarten, she should be able to hold a pencil (standard size) and trace a dotted line with very few errors. You can find a gazillion printables on Pinterest or you can just draw your own. You can also use a yellow marker or highlighter and have your child trace over your writing or drawing - it requires the same skill. 

Sing the ABCs...and know that Elemenopee isn’t a letter.

I’m not even saying that kids need to recognize all the letters in the alphabet, but they should be able to say them in sequence. If you’re always singing the traditional ABC song {tune of “Twinkle Twinkle”}, mix it up. There are loads of non-traditional ABC songs on YouTube that change the melody so you don’t have the usual mash-up of LMNOP. My favorites are Mother Goose Club’s Alphabet Train, ABC Kid TV ABC Songs, and LittleBabyBum ABC Song. 

Another fun way to say the ABCs is taking turns. You say A, he says B, and back and forth until Z. This can be done in the car, in the pool, the bathtub or around the table. It's really fun if more than two people are playing. It makes the sequence not so 'rote' and forces everyone to pay attention!

So are you saying that my child doesn’t need to know any letters? No, I am definitely not saying that! I am saying that he will learn his letters in kindergarten and already knowing some or all will certainly be advantageous. If your child has done any type of preschool, he’ll likely know many letters. 

Be able to recognize, orally spell, and legibly write his/her name.

These are the most important letters in the whole alphabet to your child. Kids will make connections to other kids and other words using letters in their names. “My name starts with H and so does hat!” Usually names are the first understanding of the idea that words are made of sounds, sounds are represented by a letter, and letters are put together to make words that have meaning and that we can read! Of course they aren’t thinking all of that, but it is what they are beginning to understand. I must stress that your child should be able to recognize the letters in her name even when used in a different word. This is how you know she understands that the letter ‘C’ at the beginning of ‘Cate’ isn’t just a half circle that you draw when you begin to say the letters in her name. As you read with your child this week, draw her attention to the words on the page and prompt her, “Hey! Look at all those letters at the bottom of the page. I wonder if we can find all the letters in your name. Let’s look for a ‘C’...do you see one?” Not only will this help her to learn her name, but it also draws attention to the fact that there are words in books that tell the story along with the pictures.

When your child is writing his name, don’t stress about upper and lower case letters. In fact, if your child’s school is using “Handwriting Without Tears” as their handwriting curriculum, your child may be asked to use only uppercase letters in the beginning and then will learn lowercase later. So if Daniel looks like DANiEL, that’s ok! That’s a wonderful place to start Kindergarten! Also, don’t worry about reversed letters. It is completely normal for kids to reverse letters and isn’t even considered a problem until second or third grade. I have had kids write completely reversed; as in I could hold their writing up to a mirror and read it perfectly. And they were just fine. 

Be able to listen to and interact with a story. 

Your child’s teacher will read A LOT of books to her students starting on day one. She will stop intermittently and ask questions about what has happened in the book, why it happened, and what students think will happen next. Your child will be expected to sit or lay or wiggle around a bit and listen and participate. Your child is NOT expected to be completely silent, nor answer every question {correctly or incorrectly}, nor have already read the story. And the BEST way to prepare your child for this is to read at home. With you {or another reader in the house}. Every day. 

Believe me, I know how hard this is. I have two kids of my own and there are days that it just doesn’t happen in our house. But because I know how crazy important and seriously good it is, I make it happen most days. This is not to toot my own horn or have y’all bow at the awesomeness that is me and stand in awe at my mad-parenting skills. Nope. I have read the studies and seen the proof in the pudding - children who are read to at home are much more successful in school than those who don’t have this opportunity. And you know what? Most of it isn’t even the actual reading. It’s sitting in your lap, being loved, being close, listening and being listened to, sharing an experience that can’t be seen on TV or touched in a toy box - only imagined by kindred hearts. One of my favorite quotes is, “Great readers are made on the lap of a parent.” And it is so true. 

If you don’t have many books at home, that’s ok! Your child benefits even from reading the same ones over and over. Also, your child will have regular access to the school library and can bring home books. Use your local library - reserve books online, run in and pick them up after work, and read them FOR FREE! 

If you have LOTS of books at home...oh, your child is so lucky! Read favorites and find those at the bottom of stacks that have never been opened. Perhaps consider donating some books to your child’s classroom library or even ask the teacher to send some books home with another student who may not have books at home. 

But what if my child can’t...

Don’t worry about it. Really. Have a conversation with your child’s teacher about your concerns. Don’t be crazy helicopter-y and call every day, but be in communication with her. Most likely she will say, “Oh, don’t you worry a thing about that. A LOT of kids don’t know _____ when they come to Kindergarten. We will make sure to teach them what they need to know.” And she will. 

And if it ends up being something that's not normal, that's really ok, too. Be your child's advocate, listen to teachers and professionals, and lovelovelove your child for exactly who he/she is. 

Ok, so how are you feeling? What are you thinking? Anything you’d add to the list? We’d love to know!