5 Ways to Make Your Kid Ready for Kindergarten!

A child's mind is constantly developing. Their cognitive and emotional skills must be sharpened from an early age. Right from when they are toddlers, they grasp a whole lot of what is happening around them. They tend to mirror people who are closest to them - parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. This means that your actions and words have a great impact on kids. And so, it's important for parents to nurture their kids' minds with the correct learning; skills that will lead to their academic, emotional, and social enhancement. Because before you know it, it will be time for them to be in kindergarten. Instead of sending them off to kindergarten without any prep, it will be nice to start off with some learning at home. You could introduce them to some Learning games and social activities that will help them cope better when they begin school.

Here are some activities that will help prepare your kids for kindergarten.

1. Educational Games for Preschoolers

Learning apps like SKIDOS have a number of games that will help your child learn a variety of skills. Right from math and coding to social skills and personal hygiene, there are games with adorable characters that help your child understand all these concepts. When they get a head start on basic early learning concepts like letters, numbers, animals, simple math, etc., they gain self-confidence. They'll be familiar with the concepts when the teacher teaches them in kindergarten which will, in turn, boost their interest in learning and communicating in class.

2. Playdates

Apart from the educational games for kindergarten kids, you could also set up a few playdates in the week. When kids begin school, they might be overwhelmed by the sudden socializing and the many children present. If your child is not a natural extrovert, it may cause them to distance themselves from the rest of the kids. Kids might not be able to make friends for a number of reasons; they might be intimidated by other kids, their self-confidence isn’t high, or they don’t know what to say when they meet another child. To avoid this, you could maybe set up a bunch of playdates with some kids from the neighborhood or the local community center. These playdates will act as a simulation. You can teach them how to approach other kids, what to say, how to be kind, and develop a helpful and empathetic character.

3. Educational Videos

Educational games are one thing but the good old educational videos can also be extremely helpful while preparing your kids for kindergarten. These videos could be all the classic nursery rhymes and children's songs along with fun videos on good habits, importance of time, animal kingdom, and more. These educational videos spark a curiosity for learning in kids. Songs and rhymes stimulate memory and engaging videos on social skills help them understand appropriate behavior from poor behavior.

4. SEL (Social-Emotional Learning)

SEL involves a number of activities that build a certain set of social and emotional skills in children. These activities help kids get in touch with their feelings and emotions. Often, kids don’t understand what they're feeling or how to communicate about them. They might be sad, angry, upset, or jealous but they don’t know how to act on it in the right manner. They are unaware of ways in which they can control these feelings, and this leads to unnecessary tantrums. To avoid these tantrums and emotional outbursts in school, there are activities like educational games for preschoolers, maintaining a feelings chart, practicing empathy and kindness, listening to and understanding what others are saying or feeling, etc. Even something as simple as being kind to animals and treating them with care will tap into the kindness in children. This way, when they get to kindergarten, they'll know how to behave, how to treat other children, how to channel their energy when they experience any negative emotions, and, most importantly, how to communicate about their feelings and emotions.

5. Independent Activities

Remember, you're not going to be there in school with them. Up until now, you've been around to help and assist them in everything they're doing. But in school, there's the teacher and there are other kids. Your child has to learn to be independent. Whether it's following orders, understanding what is being taught, or making friends, they've got to do it without help. So, every now and then, leave them alone with an activity. It could be a coloring book, educational app, playing with their toys, playdates, etc. The more they learn to be on their own, the better they'll settle into school without worrying about where you are.

Preparing kids for kindergarten is fun; it's an exciting new phase that they're about to begin. We all want our kids to enjoy school, so it's important that they know what they're getting into. A head start will be nice. Educational games for kindergarten kids and social activities are some of the many simple & small activities that you can engage in before sending your kids off to kindergarten.

Kids don’t have the attention span to constantly learn from a textbook. They might pay attention and listen to you for a couple of minutes, but when they get bored.