Heading to class

The transition from home to school is not always an easy one, but there are simple things you can do at home to prepare your children.

Preschool

Children need to be able to follow directions in preschool, said Anna Martinez, director of Cornerstone Preschool. You can prepare your child by giving him or her simple directions, such as "Come sit here on the couch" or "Pick this up off the floor."

Preschool children are also required to sit still for short periods of time. You can teach them to do this by setting crayons and paper on a table and encouraging them so sit and color for a few minutes.

You should also teach your child to vocalize their needs, Martinez said. Among other things, your child needs to be able to tell the teacher if another child hurts him or her.

***image1:right*** You can teach your child to verbally communicate by asking open-ended questions. At the park, for example, ask your child the following types of questions: "What happened? What did you play with? Did you like the swings?

You can also arrange play dates with friends or relatives so your child can learn to play, communicate and share with other children. You can teach sharing by saying things such as "It's your turn to play with this ... now it's someone else's turn."

Kindergarten

In the past, kindergarten helped prepare children for the first grade, but now kindergarten is what first grade used to be, Martinez said. The focus is more on academics and by the end of kindergarten, children must be able to read.

You can help by reading to them. During a story, pause and ask questions such as "What do you think will happen next?" or "What just happened?" This helps with your child's reading comprehension, said Martinez.

You can also recite the alphabet and count with your children. Have them count 10 buttons, one at a time, for instance. Or encourage them to count magazines when you're in line at the grocery store. Children learn by sight as well as sound, so print numbers and letters as well as saying them, she said.

Cutting skills are also important in kindergarten. Provide your child with paper and blunt-ended safety scissors and paper so they can practice cutting each day. Children tend to enjoy this, and it helps them develop fine motor skills, she said.

***image3:right***Take S.T.E.P.S. to increase your child's kindergarten readiness

To prepare children for the new kindergarten demands, Safe Schools Healthy Students trainers teach parents and other care givers how to use S.T.E.P.S. (security, touch, eyes, play and sound) to stimulate children's brain development and improve their chances of succeeding in school. You may borrow some ideas from the program (listed below) or call Safe Schools at 1-928-502-4435 for information on workshops and in-home training sessions.

Security

Bonding and attachment are important for making your child feel secure, and a sense of security will help them in school. Hold your children when you read to them, or put your arm around them and hold their hand while teaching them to write.

Touch

Have your child feel something rough, then ask, "How does this feel?" Repeat this with something soft as well as with other textures.

Eyes (sight)

Let your children help you sort laundry; this teaches them to classify things, such as lights and darks. They also learn classification by sorting colors, shapes, numbers and letters.

Play

Give children a toy truck they have to pull back to make it go forward (cause and effect). Give them one they have to push, one they have to pull and one they have to wind up to make it go. Manipulating toys with hands stimulates sensory motors, and "stimulating senses combined with motor skills is school learning at its best," said Geoffrey Dewhurst, director of Safe Schools Healthy Students.

Sound

Play a DVD with different animal sounds. After each sound, ask your child open-ended questions such as: "What animal was that?" "What did you think of that sound?" Sing songs or nursery rhymes with your children or read aloud to them. It doesn't matter what you choose, as long as your child is listening. By doing this, you're teaching your child to focus on specific learning areas, to focus specifically on you, Dewhurst said. "This exactly mirrors what we do in school."

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Nancy Gilkey can be reached at ngilkey@yumasun.com or 539-6851.