It’s time for week 3 of Get Ready for K Through Play! If you joined us for the last two weeks, then you know that this is an 8 week series with some of my favorite bloggers that will give you all the tools you need to prepare your child for Kindergarten in fun, hands-on ways. Each week, we are going to focus on a different Kindergarten readiness skill. This week we are focusing on Practicing Independence Skills that will help your child to be more independent in Kindergarten and at home. I will share some ideas for chores for kids.
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In Kindergarten, children are expected to be a lot more independent than they were in preschool. Part of this is to help your child develop and grow and part of it is because Kindergarten class size is generally bigger than preschool and there may be one teacher as opposed to two. The teacher can’t be expected to hang up your child’s coat, open their lunch box, or throw their trash away.
This doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, just a plate, utensils, napkins and a cup. Since my kids use kids plates and cups there is no danger of anything breaking.
This includes throwing any leftover food in the trash and placing their dish and cup in the sink.
In the past my kids would just take off their clothes at the end of the day and leave them on the floor of the bathroom. And then I would pick them up and bring to the washer if you can believe that. Well, no more!
This can be a fun game for the kids as they try and match up socks and check the sizes of clothes and put them in piles – size 4 for the twins and size 3 for their sister.
My kids usually clean up before bed, but their idea of cleaning up is just getting toys out of sight and shoving them wherever there is room. Since we have been working on being more independent, I have labelled more areas in the playroom and asked them to return their toys to the proper spots.
This is a great habit to get into each morning. It’s something that a four or five year old can do. It doesn’t need to be done perfectly or how you would do it. If I see a blanket spread out and a pillow and stuffed animals on the bed, I consider it a win.
They will be doing a lot of this at Kindergarten so why not start at home. If you have a low shelf you can organize art supplies in a basket so kids can reach them. When they are finished working, they can place them back where they came from.
Be sure to visit the following bloggers and check out their Independence skills posts:
Everyday Ways to Foster Independence from Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas
3 Independent Skills Your Child Needs for Kindergarten from Coffee Cups and Crayons
Teaching Kids Independence: Learning How to Ask and Offer Help from Mama Smiles
Getting Out the Door – Helping Develop Independence Skills from Rainy Day Mum
Transition Time: Teaching Kids to Successfully Move from One Activity to Another – Toddler Approved
Krissy Sherman Bonning says
Thanks for the reminder to work with my kiddos on these skills! I've scheduled a FB share of this awesome post for Monday, 7/1! 🙂
Stephanie @ Life, Unexpectedly says
Those are a few very good tips! Our girls (4 and 6) are already helping a little around the house (setting tables, picking up their toys, etc.). With our older girl starting elementary school next week, we decided to start giving her an allowance along with some more duties like putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher after meals, putting the laundry in her closet, sorting her dirty clothes in the hampers.