Help prepare your child for kindergarten testing and interviews by expanding how you communicate every day with your preschooler. Start now, and by fall, when it’s time for kindergarten testing, interviews, and playdates, your child will have amassed important language, math, literacy, and critical thinking skills!
Reading - Make Storytime Interactive
Ask your child questions about the setting, the character’s feelings, what might happen next, and their favorite part
Explain vocabulary words and use these words in daily life
Discuss concepts about print - beginning vs. end of a book, title, author, illustrator, reading text from top to bottom/left to right, capital letters, spacing, punctuation, letter labeling, and matching sounds to letters
Read rhyming books
Writing
Make sure your child holds a crayon with a proper grasp
Write letters together in shaving cream on the side of the bathtub, and do the same in the sand at the beach or the playground
Practice self-portraits - don’t forget details like ears, decorations on the shirt, jewelry
Place a handful of dried macaroni on the table as you prepare dinner and have your child count - also, add in another shape of pasta and request a pattern
Have a scavenger hunt for 2D/3D shapes at home or on your walk to school
Practice labeling numbers - walking uptown? Read the street signs to learn double-digit numbers (87th Street, 88th Street, etc.)
Expressive Language
Ask open-ended questions to elicit information (e.g., Tell me three things you loved about our trip to the zoo)
Talk with your child about WHY you do things (e.g., "I'm putting gas in the car so it will go," "I'm closing the refrigerator door so the food stays fresh and doesn’t spoil.")
Describe photos together on your phone, encouraging complete sentences
Language Comprehension
Follow directions - give your child 1-3 step unfamiliar directions to help you get things done (e.g., Please get the big wooden spoon from the drawer and put it in the bowl on the table)
Sharpen careful listening skills by providing unfamiliar directions
After watching a TV show or movie, ask your child questions to check comprehension and address expressive skills too (e.g., Why does Bluey’s mum tell her to run her own race?, What happens when Bluey and Bingo want to taste each other’s ice cream?)
Memory
Ask your child to remind you to buy bagels, tissues, and milk on the way home from school
During bathtime, remove one floating toy as your child keeps their eyes closed, and then ask, "What's missing?"
Teach your child your phone number
Critical Thinking
Play "I Spy" - and when you know the answer to what your child is describing, play dumb to elicit more details
Build something together from recyclables (e.g., a rocket, vending machine, skyscraper) - allow your child to take the lead in design and problem solving
Reasoning - encourage your child to choose appropriate clothes to wear based on the weather/plans
Articulation
Make sure your child has age-appropriate speech clarity
Encourage drinking from an open cup or the tip of a straw - lips only
Eliminate the use of pacifiers and encourage your child to stop thumbsucking
If you are interested in learning more about preparing your child for kindergarten testing and interviews, please contact Stephanie Sigal, speech-language therapist, at sayandplay@yahoo.com. Stephanie looks forward to hearing from you!