Countdown to Kindergarten

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Thank you to those who were able to attend our Kindergarten Orientation at Kinnaman earlier in May. It was so wonderful to meet our new students and families! For those who were not able to attend, we look forward to meeting you soon. Please look for a Countdown to Kindergarten update each month with helpful information and reminders geared towards making the transition to kindergarten for you and your kindergartner as smooth as possible. You may find that some of the information shared is a review of what was presented at orientation, while other information may be new.

The move from preschool to “real” school is exciting (and sometimes tearful) for both the child, as well as their parents. There’s a lot you can do to make the transition to kindergarten enjoyable.

A complete physical before the start of school, including vision and hearing tests, is a good idea. Several weeks before school starts, start your child on a daily routine of regular bedtime and wake-up time. At this age, children need ten to eleven hours of sleep to do their very best. School starts at 7:45 a.m. Let's say your child needs to wake up at 6:45 a.m. We recommend starting the bedtime routine at 7:15 a.m., falling asleep by 7:45 p.m.

A good breakfast every morning will help keep them fueled until lunch. We offer free breakfast and lunch to all students at Kinnaman.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following guidelines for technology:

• Less than 2 hours per day for kids ages 5-18.
• No more than 1 hour per day for kids ages 2-5.
• None for kids younger than 18 months old.

Note: This is the combined amount at home, in the car, in the cart at the grocery store, free time at school, etc.

Some reasons why:

• Technology, like other reward systems, can over-release a "feel good" chemical called dopamine. Similar to when we eat a delicious piece of cake and then want to have more of it. The more dopamine they are exposed to, the more tolerance they build up. The higher the tolerance, the more they crave it to get the same response.
• Technology puts an obstacle in the way of natural development of executive function skills such as the ability to plan, organize, manage time, inhibit inappropriate actions or responses, develop good judgment, control impulses, and gain the skills necessary for multi-tasking (working memory)... The result is a "double whammy." The over-release of dopamine creates a craving for more stimulation, but the impaired development of executive function skills impairs their ability to judge when or if they should use technology and for how long.

So what can I do as a parent?

• Replace screen time with reading time! Reading is one of the most important things that you can do with your child. Children who are read to develop imagination, have improved vocabulary, develop listening skills, and establishes the connection between spoken and written words (a giant first step in learning to read).

• Read/look at books or talk about pictures in a magazine.
• I Spy.
• I'm Going On A Picnic- "I'm going on a picnic and I am going to take (something that starts with "A". The next person says, "I'm going on a picnic" and they say the previous item(s) and then something that starts with the next letter of the alphabet.
• Plan what to have for dinner or plan out a shopping list.
• How many ___ (e.g., animals, food, fruits, cartoon characters, colors, clothing, weather, etc.) can you think of?
• Rock, Paper, Scissors
• Name that tune
• "Once Upon A Time"- each person adding a part to the story
• "Who Am I?"- give clues until they guess who it is
• "Pretend to Pack"- if we were going to ____ what would we need to bring?
• If you had $1 ($20, $100, a million dollars) what would you buy?
• Alphabet Hunt- while driving see if you can find something that starts with "A", then "B", and so on. What letter do you get to before you reach your destination?
• Guess What Hand the ____ is in?
• Learn and practice simple sign language.

Specific Word Finding –

• Phrase Completion word games:

• A pair of _____ (shoes, glasses, pants)

• A loaf of _____ (bread)

• A piece of _____ (cake, toast, candy)

• A drink of _____ (water, milk, soda)

• A can of _____ (soup, soda)

• A tube of _____ (toothpaste, glue)

• We wash our _____ (hands, clothes)

• We play a _____ (game, movie, CD)

• We read a _____ (book, magazine)

• We kick a _____ (ball)

• We sing a _____ (song)

• Identification of Objects Described:

• It is round and is found on a car. (tire, steering wheel)

• People drive these. (car, truck)

• We write on this. (paper)

• We sleep on this. (bed, couch)

• We use these to cut hair and paper. (scissors)

• A shape that has four corners. (square)

• We use this to make ourselves clean. (soap)

First edition

District Goal: WE empower all students to achieve post-high school success.