5 Focus Areas to Support Your Kiddo for Kindergarten!
September 2022 | Jeannette Kahn, SLP, Founder & Co-Owner Buttonloop Children’s Therapies
Interested in learning about some areas you can help with at home to prepare your kindergartner for school?
This blog will focus on:
Teaching your child how to advocate for themself
How to practice peer play and grow social skills
Building Executive functioning skills with their backpack!
Regulation and learning how to breathe
Self Advocacy
Teach your child how to first attempt to independently problem-solve then verbally communicate their needs by modeling this behavior yourself (pause, raise your hand, and state "I need help, please")
Executive Functioning
Work with your child on organizing their backpack/materials
Develop a reminder list for when they start school (Hang up coat, backpack) vs. when they leave for day.
Social Skills
Set up peer play dates to practice social skills, including turn taking and sharing thoughts/imaginative play Role play how your child can initiate play and strategies to include children in their play Teach turn-taking with toys and communication to allow for back to back conversation
Daily Living
Make sure child knows how to unzip coat, undo fasteners
Takes on/off shoes
Opening/closing their lunchbox and food containers
Regulation
Empower your child with ways to calm their body down when they get upset - taking deep breaths, "sniffing the flower then blowing out candles, " count to 10...
Want some additional support? Check out Buttonloop Children’s Therapies for speech, occupational therapy, feeding and social skills needs.
Photo Credit: note thanun on Unsplash