Preparing the Child for Kindergarten

Have her color a lot. That will help her with hand control. She should know how to write her name and know her address with city & state and telephone number.

Colors, up, above, down, below, left, right, know of North East South West, should be able to put her own socks and shoes on, bounce a ball, anatomy basics: the food goes in the mouth into the stomach through the intestines and comes out as poop; blood flows through the veins and into the heart; shoulders, knees, elbows, ankles, wrists; and the funniest thing, teach her how to do a jumping jack; frisbee; draw feelings and emotion faces; opposites: on/off, up/down, large/small; family height: dad is the tallest and the cat is the shortest; tracing; shapes; food groups/types: meat & pbutter is protein; balance: walking the plank; play games with winners and losers so she is used to a little competition; hopscotch with a rock or bean bag toss; patterns; grocery shopping: have her push cart and go to aisle 7 put 2 cans of corn in the cart; rhymes; laundry: folding clothes and matching socks; follow instructions: bake cookies or make treats and read directions and have her do it for you (safely); activity books: dot to dots, matching, mazes, finding the hidden pictures; song & dance: if your happy and you know it, hokey pokey.

This should give her a great start so she is not one of the lost kids in the bunch, maybe she will be teachers aid.

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The school will schedule some sort of orientation for you and your daughter - she will be taught where her classroom is, who will meet the bus, etc. In our school, the kids are given or mailed tags to wear that indicate name, classroom, bus route, etc. They are easily identified on the first few days and steered to the right location by staff members. It's usually done about a week before school starts but you can call the school to find out the schedule and plans. Also, most schools have a screening done in the spring - each kid meets individually with a teacher (with you there) and they play a few games, do a few tasks - just to identify any kids with issues and to assess readiness. It might not be the teacher to whom she will be assigned, but that's okay - it's usually a very experienced member of the team and it's another way for your daughter to go to the school in advance.

You can take her to the school on your own but it's more effective to go with other kids, meet them, see some familiar faces, and so on. It's important for you to be upbeat and not worry about it too much - she will pick up on your stress and think there is something to be afraid of.

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They have meet the teacher night before school starts. You go there, and you'll both see and learn exactly where you'll be dropping her off, where her class is (you can walk it as often as needed, and sometimes they decorate so you'll be able to find the room easily---for example, kindergarten's theme may be Cat in the Hat or something). You'll see where to put your stuff when you come into your classroom, all of that. And the teachers will be able to handle what happens in the middle of the day. Just teach her that she needs to listen to the teacher when the teacher speaks (instructions as well as lessons). Meet the teacher night will help with knowing the school, meeting the teacher and some classmates, etc. The first day of school is generally orientation for the kids to know what's gonna happen every day during school hours. It'll be just fine.

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Your best bet, is to take her on a tour of the school. This will at least get her familiar with the layout. But really, she will learn all that stuff while in school as every child in the classroom will need to learn the same thing.

Take her on a tour of the school. Show her that there re bathrooms in each classroom, where the cafeteria is, the playground, the library and let her meet her teacher (if you know who that will be). Explain to her that her teacher will be there not only to teach, but to get the students (including her) to the different places in the building (library, lunch, playground etc) and to help with any questions she has.

They may have different rules about things (walking in a line, raising hands to speak, etc) but the teacher will explain them all to her.

She won't have to find anything. You will take her in to her classroom and the teacher will guide her from there. This is new to all kindergartners and she won't be set loose to run around the school. Lunch too......make it simple and teachers are usually helpful in kindergarten.

Are you going to public school......Are you in Richardson schools? There will probably be a "kindergarten roundup." Contact the school to be sure you don't miss it. That will be this year to introduce you to the school and at that time your daughter may meet other children..... she can look forward to seeing them again in the fall (or you can even try to make play dates before because this will help you find kids in your neighborhood). The kids will help each other and make the transition easier. Remember, they are all in the same boat.

I was much like you--concerned with the logistics more than the academics. (I would not stress at all over the K evaluation testing!)
She will be fine. Kindergarten teachers are a special and they are usually a rare breed cross between teacher and mom. :)
She's getting ready to fly!
My son is Mr. Oblivious and I was SO worried when K started. He does not stress over anything but he "gets it" -- usually the first time. He doesn't talk about stuff but he is well aware of the routines, rules, etc. Now (2nd grade) he punches in his acct number in the cafeteria (did in 1st grade too) and knows when his library books are due, etc.

best way to prepare for KG: make sure the child excels with the KG pre-testing. Contact the school district for a list of benchmarks to help with this.

The teacher is responsible for teaching the skills needed to succeed with all of the little details within the classroom. Each year, your child will learn new basic skills as she progresses toward full autonomy.

You've got the socialization skills needed covered thru daycare.......&

MOST importantly, relax & be positive! Your child is about to embark upon an adventure!!

From my experience... generally the first day of school will be more of an orientation for the student and parent. Both my kids were so excited to start school. I'm sure your child will be also!

Good Luck!

I was afraid mine would have trouble with this but he really did great.
With in the first week of school he could walk himself to class.
During the open house she will be able to meet her teachers and you can help her find her way to the class room a couple of times.
She will be fine.
My son prefers to take his lunch every day.Taking a lunch isn't really a big deal. The teacher will help them a lot with everything.