5 Ways to Prepare Little Ones for Kindergarten Over the Summer

With the excitement of graduating preschool fading into the reality of your little one starting kindergarten in the fall, it’s important to make sure your little one is prepared for the next step in their school journey! While summer is the perfect time to soak up the sun and enjoy some family bonding time, it’s also a great time to review some basics every now and then with your little one. That way, they can go into their first day of kindergarten feeling confident and ready to learn!

Here are a few ways to review over the summer for your little one’s kindergarten readiness:

Practice letter and sound recognition

Get in some alphabet and phonetic review with word games and book reading. If your little one is starting to read, make sure you have some easy books for new readers; you can read them together, or your little one can feel free to pick them up from your local library and practice by themselves if they’re leaning towards independence in their summer learning.

Review colors and shapes

Summertime is full of colors and shapes — use them! Make paint-sicles with your little one and let them choose and mix the colors. Find and identify different shapes of items you find on the beach; beach ball (circle), sand castles (rectangles/squares), etc. Finding ways to review and learn while enjoying the summertime is a great way to make learning fun and get your little one inquisitive about the world around them — an important part of kindergarten readiness.

Practice tracing letters and numbers

Using chalk on the sidewalk, in the backyard, or even a blackboard you may have at home, you can create huge letters, numbers, and shapes with dashed lines that your little one can practice tracing as part of their summer learning. You can even make it a physical activity by having them walk or jump along the shape of the letter or number. The idea is to keep them familiar with, and build their confidence in, their knowledge of the ABC’s and 123’s. You can also check out Playgarden Online for worksheets and workbooks to practice tracing and other helpful tools for kindergarten readiness.

Practice basic info about themselves 

With kindergarten comes more independence, and being certain your little one knows some basic information about themselves in case of emergencies will bring comfort to you both. 

Here are some of the most important pieces of information your little one should memorize as part of their summer learning so they can have it down pat before starting school:

-first and last name 

-age

-home address 

-parent’s first and last name(s) 

-at least one parent’s phone number

You can always add other important points specific to your little one, especially if they have allergies or other conditions that teachers or caretakers should be aware of.

Practice general self-care

Part of your little one’s growing independence and kindergarten readiness includes feeling confident in taking care of themselves. It’s important that your little one is practicing using the bathroom by themselves, washing their hands, getting themselves dressed, etc. They may already be doing these things independently, but if they are not, encourage them to try doing a task alone while reminding them they can always ask for help!