School Readiness: A.K.A. What do the tiny humans need to know to thrive.

In true librarian fashion, a lot of research goes into developing my kindergarten readiness programs and my preschool storytimes.  I have binders galore in my office, almost reaching Leslie Knope obsession levels that have all kinds of information and ideas.

 

From what I have read, children need to be supported in areas known as Domains of Learning in order to have a solid foundation that prepares them for school.  That sounds super official and even a little intimidating, but they are social and emotional development, physical development, language and literacy, mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, social studies, and the Arts.  Phew!  That's not so bad.  We've heard of those!  Better yet, it is possible to make them all FUN!  Yay!  The good "f word!"  I would even be willing to bet that you are working on all of these areas with your kids already.

Social and emotional development means getting along with others, following rules, starting and finishing a task.  Having skills in this area allows kids to be able to follow a classroom routine.

Physical development involves fine and gross motor development, things like holding a pencil to running and jumping.  It also includes things like using scissors or drawing.  This is where kids also learn basic health and safety skills.

Language and literacy is my area!  I have shared a lot of tips for developing language and literacy skills in other posts on this blog.  This is where you develop the basics of knowing numbers and letters and being able to communicate with others.

Mathematical thinking sounds complex, but it really isn't.  These skills include being able to sort things into different categories, recognizing patterns, and counting.  No Calculus here!

 Scientific thinking is where you can help make concepts come alive for easier understanding.  It's all about exploring, questioning, testing, and discovering.  This is something that usually comes easily to kids.

Social studies is all about discovering and understanding more about the world around you from your immediate community to other cultures.  Think community helper books and "All About Me" posters.

The Arts rival language and literacy for my favorite area to explore in my programs.  Music, dance, art, make believe and the power of your own imagination are developed here.  It's awesome!

This is what I love about my job and what I miss most about it.  I love being able to play a part in helping parents and caregivers prepare kids for school and help set them up for success.  When parents and kids come back to tell me about successes they have, I absolutely love it.  I file these stories away so I can have them in the back of my mind on the days where my job is challenging.  Considering it has been very challenging lately, I really need to build up my supply of happy thoughts!  Hopefully sharing things via this blog is helping some of you out.  Please share your stories and your own ideas with me so I can not only make myself happy but share the wealth of that knowledge with others!

Here are some tips and words of encouragement to get your started.  Try different things.  Sometimes someone works one day that doesn't the next.  Mix it up.  If something isn't working, change it.  We want these activities and experiences to be fun and meaningful.  Don't reinvent the wheel.  On the flip side, if something works, stick with it but have the child play the role of teacher or leader instead.  Repetition can be very useful for building skills.  Use simple, basic things.  Dollar Tree and the $1 section of Target are your friends.  Even use things you have around the house.  A kleenex can be a scarf you use for singing and dancing.  A box of rice can be a shaker.  If you are trying a new activity, make sure you are familiar with it and gather things you need for it ahead of time.  Be flexible and willing to modify things.  Take advantage of your local library.  Besides books, they offer a lot of other things like online databases, toy lending, social media presence, and librarians that you can talk to.  Most of all, have fun with it.  I cannot stress enough that meaningful, nurturing activities done with love are essential for learning.  You get to be a kid again!  As someone who gets to do it for a living, I can tell you that it is pretty darn spectacular!  In future posts, I will explore each area and provide you with activity ideas, links, book suggestions, etc.  Keep visiting for more info, and let me know how I can help you out.