How to teach a kindergartener

Teaching Kindergarten: 50+ Tips, Tricks, and Ideas

Kindergarten teachers are magical people. It takes a special person to be able to manage the littlest students without breaking a sweat! Teaching kindergarten is also a special opportunity to introduce children to school and instill in them a love of learning. In honor of you who teach this grade, we’ve scoured our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook to bring you the best tips, tricks, and ideas for teaching kindergarten.

Getting Your Classroom Ready

1. Integrate all of the tech

Source: Enchanted Kinder Garden

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With so many teachers receiving new devices, make sure you’re using them fully as a normal part of your day. Check out some of Keri from Enchanted Kinder Garden’s favorite tech tools for a kindergarten classroom.

2. Prepare yourself for kids with a wide range of skills

“Be ready for kids who are readers, kids who have never seen letters, and everything in between. I love my kinders dearly and find so much joy in watching their little lightbulbs go on for the first time! They’re a different bunch to be sure, but they’re a blast!” —Maggie V.

3. Create an inviting classroom

Need ideas? We’ve gathered real-life kindergarten classrooms for you to browse!

4. Be prepared for changes

Source: The Daily Alphabet

The science of reading has been all the buzz lately. Are you aware of what it truly means for your classroom and your students? Check out this article to learn more about the science of reading.

5. Gather all the supplies

Not sure what exactly you need for the kindergarten classroom? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with this list of essential kindergarten classroom supplies.

6. Plan your circle time well

Source: Growing Kinders

Make circle time short, sweet, and active. Incorporate these amazing carpet spots for easy seating.

7.

In kindergarten, teacher planning and prep time are precious! It makes life a lot easier when you can purchase existing lessons, bundles, books, and pages. And why not support other teachers while you do it? Check out our favorite Teacher Pay Teachers sellers.

8. Put together an irresistible classroom reading nook

Source: Pixie Chicks

If there’s one thing you want your kindergartners to walk away with at the end of the year, it’s the message that reading is fun! Make reading time extra special for them by setting up one of these awesome reading nooks.

9. Fill your classroom library with these classic kindergarten books

Here are our favorite books for teaching kindergarten.

10. Set up sensory tables

Early childhood teachers know that hands-on learning is essential. Sensory play encourages open-ended thinking, language development, and collaboration and builds fine motor skills. Sensory materials are magically both engaging and calming. Here are our favorites!

11. Set up a writing area

Source: Enchanted Kinder Garden

Writing is so important for our early learners. Even when students are just learning to write, it’s important to encourage the process. Having a dedicated writing time helps shift a child’s focus. Some classrooms even have a dedicated space for writing. Here is an easy setup for a writing center.

The First Days of School

12. Take your class on a mini-adventure on the first day

“I teach routines and rules, but I also go on some kind of ‘adventure.’ My adventure is going through the school to find where everything is: the bathrooms, the nurse, the front office, the cafeteria (which we practice going through the line), library, etc. I’ve done fishing where I have fish (or a jungle animal if that was my theme) hanging at each place and they collect them in a bucket as we go around taking turns and collecting through the whole school. They love it.” —Dana H.

13. Keep in mind that the kids have expectations too

Source: Rainbows Within Reach

“Kids go to their first day of kindergarten expecting to learn how to read that very day. So you have to do some choral reading of big books or poems so that they know that they have begun to learn to read. Just one big book. Read it many times that day. If they go home seeing themselves as scholars on the first day of school, you will have set the tone for the whole year.” —Becky N.

14. Help the parents of your students on the first day because it’s a tough transition for them too

“You will have a room full of parents on the first day, so to have a smooth goodbye, I wrap a box with Kinder Bear (any stuffed bear) inside. After the kids are sitting on the carpet, I tell them that I have a friend I’d like them to meet, but that he’s shy. I pretend to listen to the bear and tell the kids he wants you to say bye to Mom & Dad so he can come out and play. The parents will ‘get’ the message and leave, and the students will be eager to meet Kinder Bear!” —Denise B.

15. Start at the

Source: Pre-K Pages

“Don’t assume they know how to do anything. Teach them everything. How to knock at the bathroom door, how to close it behind them, how to wash hands, throw away towels … routines, routines, routines.” — Shannon T.

16. Keep in mind how close to “baby” your students really are

“Remember, they are 60-month-olds! That always gives me perspective the first few weeks teaching kindergarten.” —Michelle K.

17. Choose amazing read-alouds for the first week of school

Source: Enchanted Kinder Garden

Go ahead and “add to cart” on Amazon to get first-week read-alouds and back-to-school books they’ll love.

18. Make keepsake drawings that will show growth from the beginning of the year

Source: Splish Splash Splatter

“I would have them do a self-portrait the first day and then another one the last week and look at the difference! You will want to start and demo one of yourself just to give them an idea of what to do. You might be surprised at the results and your parents will save it forever—mine did. I still have one I drew as a kinder or first grader.” —Julia A.

19. Start the year with firm expectations and clear routines

“Don’t worry about the curriculum. Just focus on the routines and rules. One of the best bits of advice I got from a professor was that the kids WANT to love you so don’t be afraid to be strict with the rules and set down your boundaries right out of the gate. I’ve been teaching for 20 years, and I learned that the hard way. Have fun, play games, let them see your playful side, but take the time to let them know what is expected of them.” —Julie S.

Check out these first day routines and procedures for more ideas!

20. Teach kids

Source: First Grade Garden

Don’t expect that they will come to you knowing what listening looks like. Here’s how to teach them.

21. Teach kids how to make friends

Source: First and Kinder Blue Skies

Some of your students will make friends naturally. Some of them will need your help. How to be a friend is one of the most important lessons they can leave their first year of school with. Here’s an activity you can do to help them.

22. Find fun ways to teach all of the routines your little ones will need to know all year long

“For my lines in the hallway, I say ‘There’s a cloud with marshmallows falling down (wiggle fingers like they’re falling from above), everyone catch a marshmallow!’ Pretend to catch and say, ‘now put it in your mouth and chew chew chew chew and keep your finger on your lips so it doesn’t fall out’ until you get to the cafeteria, playground, etc. They’ll walk around with their cheeks puffed up pretending to chew. Some might say they ate it, so tell them to catch another or it’s too big to eat the whole thing and keep chewing! I’ve heard teachers say ‘catch a bubble.’ It’s the same concept. When I need instant silence I say, ‘Catch a marshmallow!’ and there is quiet immediately.” —Heikel F.

Here is our list of must-teach classroom routines and procedures.

Classroom Management Tips

23. Use anchor charts

Creating anchor charts for and with your students helps them learn and remember lessons about topics like friendship, shapes, counting, letters, beginning writing, and more.

24. Keep your kids moving all day long

Source: You Clever Monkey

“Plan lessons/activities that last no more than 15 minutes, with some kind of movement activity in between. (Moving from the circle to the table counts, as does clapping a pattern, or Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.)” —Anne H.

25. Do proper assessments

Teachers need to ultimately adapt their teaching to suit students’ needs. You want all of your students to be successful; that’s why these kindergarten assessment ideas are so important.

26. Combine multiple objectives into a single lesson

Source: Childcareland Pre-K

Teach children number sense and fine motor skills at the same time. The kids will love using the hole punch in this activity and will improve their number sense at the same time.

27. Teach with centers

Teaching with centers is one of the easiest ways to work through your curriculum while teaching kindergarten. And kids love them! Check out our kindergarten literacy centers for more ideas.

28. Get the wiggles out

Incorporating brain breaks will help all of your students when they just need a break from learning!

29. Give your kids visual cues to help them follow your directions

Source: Mrs. Maya’s Kinders

“I have my kids line up on numbers. They stay on the same number all year. This saves so much time. We can line up in less than 15 seconds. Their toes touch the number but don’t cover it so I can see it.” —Debbie N.

30. Keep little fingers cleaner with this trick

Source: Lucky Little Learners

“Glue sponges! There are several videos online for making them. So awesome to not deal with the bottle of glue mess or those littles who can’t close the bottle and spill glue in their supplies!” —Anita D.

31. Use a washable stuffed animal as a class pet

Source: A First for Everything

Low maintenance (essential for teaching kindergarten), high fun! Kids will love taking turns bringing it home to care for it over the weekend.

32. Routine, routine, routine

Veterans who’ve been teaching kindergarten for years said this again and again on our Helpline: Probably more than any other age group in elementary school, kindergartners thrive on their routine. “Plan fun and easy activities for the first week so you can keep focused on the routine.” —Sarah S.

Curriculum Tips and Tricks

33. Tailor your science to their needs

These fun and free science activities were put together just for your kindergarten students! They’ll learn how the world works through play and experiments.

34. Try daily STEM challenges

These STEM challenges are designed with your kinders in mind. Try one each day or each week to get their minds thinking outside the box.

35. Use these strategies for writing instruction

From invented spelling to punctuation and using words in context, these tips will help your newbie writers catch on quickly.

36. Use hands-on alphabet activities

Go on a scavenger hunt, play with shaving cream, and much more. These alphabet activities are perfect for your class.

37. Incorporate daily writing prompts

We’ve gathered writing prompts that you can download and use to get your kinders practicing their writing skills.

38. Use “space people” to help your beginning writers learn to use spaces between words

Source: Time 4 Kindergarten

Put an astronaut stick down when you get to the end of a word, so you know where to start the next one!

39. Put sight words front and center

Source: Life With Moore Babies

Keep track of important sight words in fun ways and keep them visually front and center like this growing word-a-pillar.

40.

Source: Teacher Karma

This method is tried-and-true among kindergarten teachers. Check out the link for seven simple steps for using word families to teach reading.

41. Bring technology (in small doses) into the classroom

Check out our guide to teaching kindergarten online for tips using technology when teaching kindergarten.

42. Sneak in the learning with games

“I like playing ‘I have, who has’ games. I take their picture on the first day of school and create an ‘I have who has’ game with their photos. It’s a great way for them to learn names, plus I use their picture for everything.” —Lisa G.

Check out our favorite educational toys and games for kindergarten.

43. Organize your instruction around themes

When you structure your lessons thematically, you provide your kids with more “hooks” for learning. Check out this blog by Fun-a-Day for some great ideas.

44. Find hands-on ways to teach number sense

Source: The Printable Princess

Number sense is key in kindergarten. You’ll want to cover it again and again. Here are some ideas for teaching number sense.

45. Incorporate kindergarten math games

Kindergarten offers so many opportunities to help students find learning truly enjoyable. These kindergarten math games teach concepts in fun and meaningful ways.

46. Watch math videos

Making math more engaging for kids can be difficult. But teaching math will be anything but boring when you introduce students to some of our favorite subtraction and addition videos on YouTube.

47. Begin teaching shapes

Learning shapes is one of the earliest concepts we teach kids. Shapes ready them for geometry in the years ahead, but it’s also an important skill for learning how to write and draw. Get started with these activities.

48. Count the days of school and celebrate when you reach 100

There are so many different fun ways to celebrate the 100th day of school. We’ve got a whole collection of activities for you!

49.

“Music is needed and is a good way to transition. Find a welcome song and an afternoon song (can be the same tune with different words) to start and close your day. It makes a world of difference.” —Anne H.

50. Keep activity sticks on hand so you never have a terrifying “What do I do with them

Source: Keep Calm and Teach On

One of the most repeated pieces of advice in our Helpline group about teaching kindergarten is that you should always overplan for this age group. These activity sticks are a fantastic safety net when you suddenly find that your lesson went twice as fast as you expected.

51. Go on a field trip

Kinders are a wild bunch, and taking them anywhere might seem daunting, but field trips provide kids with the kind of real-world learning that really sticks with them. These kindergarten field trips will keep your young students interested and (mostly) out of trouble. We even have virtual ones!

52. Incorporate LOTS of art

Hands-on learning is best for little ones. We’ve gathered our favorite fun and interesting projects.

Taking Care of You

53. Take care of yourself

Teaching kindergarten requires a different kind of energy. Eat well and try to get an extra hour of sleep if you can. “When I switched from teaching second grade to teaching kindergarten, I was exhausted for the first two months. It’s physically taxing.” —Karen E.

Here are some teacher self-care ideas to consider.

54. Connect with a community of educators outside of your own school

Teaching is hard! Join our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE Facebook group and connect with other teachers to talk about challenges and triumphs and ask questions.

55. Follow kindergarten teachers and bloggers

Keep a pulse on what’s happening in your grade level with our favorite teachers sharing on topics ranging from crafts to addressing important multicultural issues.

56. Laugh with your kids

Kindergartners love to laugh as much as the rest of us! These funny books will add some humor and levity to your day. Plus, check out these jokes just for kindergartners!

57. Keep a “sub tub” on hand for those days when you just can’t make it into school

Source: Supply Me

Fill your sub tub with all the lessons and activities your sub will need in case you have an unexpected absence.

58. Plan fun annual events for your students and their families

Source: Kindercraze

Whether it’s Cupcakes With Caregivers, a fall feast, or a spring BBQ, kindergartners love traditions. And they love to include their families. Here are some tips on making these events inclusive for all your students.

59. And last, but certainly not least, give them lots (and lots) of time to play

“Playtime teaches kids how to get along with others so that they can effectively learn in a classroom. It’s so important, especially in kindergarten. ” —Michelle S.

Check out our educational toys for kindergarten and why dolls belong in the classroom!

We’d love to hear—what are your favorite tips and tricks for teaching kindergarten? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, check out our guide to the kindergarten classroom.

15 Beautiful & Inspiring Kindergarten Classrooms

The start of school can be intimidating for little kids, which is why it’s so important to create a positive and inviting environment. If you’ve been thinking about updating your kindergarten classroom, we’ve got you covered. Whether you’re looking to change your decor, layout, or are just looking for inspiration, these 15 kindergarten classrooms will help get you started!

1. Set Up A Classroom Within Your Classroom

How adorable is this miniature classroom setup for budding teachers?

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Source: @missmercersclassroom

2.

This is one of the cutest kindergarten classrooms we’ve ever seen (and we’re obsessed with that sun basket on the shelf—no, it’s not a taco!).

Source: @kindercuteness

3. Use Chair Covers for Extra Storage

Those chair covers can help keep seats clean and add a splash of color while adding a little more storage space! 

Source: @teachingwithaflair

4. Showcase Student Work

A clothesline is an efficient and fun way to put everything on display.

Source: @mrs.cuervo_in_the_classroom

5. Think About Textures

Balance out the paper, wood, and plastic and add a touch of softness to your classroom with a cool rug.

Source: @mrs.rskrazykinders

6. Stick With a Simple Palette

Black and white with pops of color is always in style.

Source: @kindergartenrainbows

7.

Making a large space more inviting and engaging can be difficult, but finding a great piece (like a huge mat) can bring it all together.

Source: @learningwithmrsratigan

8. Think Bright and Happy

Incorporating many types of seating give students options for socializing and independent play.

Source: @kindercuteness

9. Make the Most of Bulletin Boards

Your kindergarten classroom may not be very big, but with creativity, you can create a dynamic learning environment for your students.

Source: @glitterandhummus

10. Try Flexible Seating

These cool floor chairs make it easy for young kids to curl up with a book (and the seat covers are easy to clean). Check out other flexible seating options.

Source: @playfullykindergarten

11. Use Baskets to Organize Your Classroom Library

The right baskets will add style and organization to any classroom!

Source: @espresso_teach_repeat

12.

Kindergartens love to play, so give them a colorful space to sit and tumble more comfortably!

Source: @itsallgoodwithmisshood

13. Add Some School Supply Flair

The oversize chair is great, but can we talk about that cool, giant pencil?

Source: @missqskinders

14. Go Au Naturel

Give your kindergarten classroom the natural treatment by ditching plastic for wood.

Source: @courtneys.classroom

15. Create a Magical Doorway

This great rainbow treatment allows your students to leave the world behind when they step through your door.

Source: @sunshineandrainbowsinteaching

Want to make things a little more cozy? Check out this list of 13 Ways to Bring Hygge to Your Classroom.

If these ideas inspired you, join our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group and come talk with the very teachers who suggested them!

What and how to teach a preschooler

How many times each of us was amazed at how quickly time flies! It seems that just recently your baby took the first steps and uttered the first words, and now the time is very close when your child, having crossed the threshold of the school, will become a first grader. A period of responsible and difficult work will come for him and for you: to learn new things every day, learn to think and reason, build your relationships with peers. And, of course, every parent cannot help but worry about the following questions: how will the child's school life turn out? How will he study? Is he ready for school? What can and what should a family do to make school years a joyful and happy period of growing up, learning, and work for a child?

So, in order for your child to learn school material well, he needs to be taught a lot of things, especially at preschool age. Parents need to understand that it is necessary to teach a child in such a way as to stimulate not only mental, but also mental development. A lot has been written about what and how to teach a preschooler, and yet we often come across a depressing fact: parents have little idea of ​​what exactly they should do.

They do not have a clear program of action, which means that there is no necessary sequence. Parents are lost in the flow of various information, they begin to rush about: what to teach? What book to read? What is the best game to buy? Which kindergarten should I send my child to? And so on ad infinitum: questions, questions, questions. And poor children from the age of four or five, forcedly, under pressure from their parents, write a stick, learn a number series, memorize long poems they do not understand, and much, much more. But what does this give for their mental development, for the development of basic cognitive processes: perception, thinking, independent speech?

Very often educators and psychologists come across a sad phenomenon when a six-year-old child, who is too capable, according to his parents, can count up to a hundred perfectly, but cannot count ten matches lying in front of him. Why is that? - you ask. We answer: a child of preschool age is not yet able to realize that counting is not a way to get parents' praise, but a means of determining quantity. A no less sad sight is the child's knowledge of letters, which is not connected with the sound-letter analysis of the word, and even more so with the ability to compose syllables and words from individual letters. Such knowledge can become a serious brake on the way not only to acquiring literacy, but also to the successful development of the school curriculum as a whole.

So what should be taught to a preschooler in order for him to develop correctly, harmoniously and be ready for school? The child must be taught everything, not only directly those skills that are necessary in school education: reading, writing, counting, but also all those skills and abilities that are necessary in everyday life: to correctly use the objects surrounding him, namely action, and not dry knowledge about an object or phenomenon.

Family education

How does the education and preparation of the child for school begin? Of course, from family upbringing. Remember the proverb: “If you sow an act, you will reap a habit; if you sow a habit, you will reap a character; if you sow a character, you will reap a destiny”? In everyday communication with children, the seeds of the future character are laid, which then will give good or evil shoots. Neglecting this is often very costly! Very often school failures of our children, their difficult entry into the team, inability or, even worse, unwillingness to learn are the result of parental miscalculations and mistakes, those relationships that reign in the family, those life orientations that are assimilated in it.

All parents, without exception, make sure that their child does not need anything, is fed, shod and clothed.

Many spare no time and effort to teach their three-year-old son or daughter to write, read and count, mistakenly believing that this is preparation for school. However, this is not enough for a full-fledged upbringing. Just as zealously, we must take care of what we fill the mind, heart and soul of the child, because his psychological development largely depends on this, and therefore, his formation as a person.

To develop cognitive abilities

To develop a child's cognitive abilities does not mean giving him "ready-made" knowledge, skills and abilities; First of all, we are talking about developing a child's need for this knowledge, determining possible ways to obtain it, and teaching them to think and reason. The success of his education depends on how well the student has developed cognitive activity and independence.

Is it possible to set such a complex task in relation to a preschooler? Yes, you certainly may! It is during the period of preschool age that a kind of database is laid, which will be necessary for the child throughout the entire education.

The child acquires cognitive experience primarily in a variety of activities. Each of its types makes its own, special contribution to the development of the child. How does it happen? The first independent activity of a preschooler is subject. She introduces him to the world of things created by human hands, and helps to understand why we need them. Mastering objective actions is the first step in mastering material culture. However, parents should remember that this will only happen if the object is used for its functional purpose, only under this condition the child will fully comprehend the properties of objects, their relationships, while simultaneously developing perception, representation, and, consequently, mental operations.

Mastering object actions first occurs in the game. Gradually, the child learns to replace the missing objects with others, but similar (a thermometer with a stick, soap with a cube), then with any others, endowing them with the appropriate function, and, finally, with words. This is how imagination develops, the ability to abstract from a specific situation and model a new, imagined reality. Later, the cognitive activity of the child is built on this solid foundation.

Teach your child to play - at first simply operate with objects, imitating real actions, their logic and sequence. The next stage - the child already knows how to act independently, play out entire plots, the main purpose of which is to reflect the child's vision of relations between other people: family, business, etc. Only at this stage of the child's play development, actions can already become purely symbolic, and real objects - be replaced by others, with the help of which you can depict the desired action. Having passed all this playful way, your child will gain a lot, having significantly advanced in his development, he will receive the necessary knowledge about the objects around him, phenomena, human relations, which will contribute to the development of thinking and imagination.

The first types of productive activity of the child - visual and constructive . Creating something new with his own hands - be it a drawing, a plasticine craft, a building made of cubes - he seeks to reflect the world around him as truthfully as possible, and this, in turn, contributes to the further development of perception, spatial representations. In the development of the child's cognitive abilities, an important role is played by labor , which incorporates all types of activity.

Labor education begins in the family

You can join it in completely different ways - self-service, household chores, working in nature, making various handicrafts, mastering craft skills. Raising a child's readiness for work is one of the main tasks in preparing children for school, because the success of education largely depends on how much the child is accustomed to work, whether he has the necessary personal qualities that allow him to productively cope with educational tasks.

At home and on the street, people around the child are busy with various kinds of work; the things with which the child comes into contact are the result of labor; the importance of labor in people's lives should be fully realized by the child. Respect for any work and for a person engaged in business must be brought up purposefully and consistently from an early age, protecting children from laziness and selfishness. K.D. Ushinsky said: “Education should not only develop a person’s mind and give him a certain amount of information, but should kindle in him a thirst for serious work, without which his life cannot be either worthy or happy.”

The child's work should supplement the experience of being able to organize activities, should teach to help others, to take care of loved ones. Help your child experience the joy of a job well done: “Look how bright and clean it is”, “See how the washed dishes shine”, “It's good that you helped grandma: now she can relax and play with you.” Before going to bed, talk with your child about how the day went, what he managed to do, what he learned new, ask him to talk about vivid impressions and events. So gradually the standard of any activity and an independent assessment of its results will be formed in the preschooler.

Cognitive activity

All types of cognitive activity of a child allow mobilizing his cognitive abilities, and therefore, developing them, teaching not only to navigate in the world around him, but also to change it to some extent. However, for this to happen, parents need to properly organize any activity of the child: they need to determine its goal together with him, think over possible ways to achieve this goal, plan a sequence of actions, control himself during work, be able to correctly and objectively evaluate the result. The acquisition of such skills in planning one's own activities is necessary for a child in the process of schooling.

For the proper development and upbringing of a child, it is very important for parents to create emotional comfort, they need constant attention to their behavior and to the behavior of their baby, patience, flexibility, sensitivity and tact, the desire and ability to understand the motives of the child's behavior in a particular case. Incontinence, shouting, abuse of adults give rise not only to a feeling of resentment, distrust, injustice, but also a state of anxiety, self-doubt, which can have a detrimental effect on the child's further education outside the home, in general educational institutions.

We are glad that the child loves to draw, sculpt, design, play with blocks, dolls and cars - the kid is busy, and this is enough for parents. But how often do you ask yourself questions: what do these classes give him? How does he play, construct, sculpt, draw, work? What difficulties does it experience? Does he finish what he started? Meanwhile, observation of the child's play activity can play a decisive role in the cognitive development of the child and his preparation for school. Without interfering with the child, without suppressing his initiative, observe him in order to tactfully help him realize and enrich his activities, organize classes, direct them in the right direction of mental development.

Here is a baby playing with a doll: dressing, undressing, feeding. Draw his attention to the meaning of these actions: undresses to put to bed or bathe; dresses to go to visit or for a walk; feeds, educates, etc. Show your imagination and wake up the baby's fantasy - this will help you and him to develop your own model of family behavior.

Before drawing, ask him what he wants to draw and what is needed for this - paints, pencils, felt-tip pens; why he wants to choose this particular color and not some other. Discuss the completed drawing: what worked and what didn’t work, and it’s important that the child pays attention to what worked and what didn’t.

Emotions and will of a preschooler

The development of the emotional-volitional sphere determines the formation of a child's personality. It is at preschool age that the assimilation of moral norms takes place, the ability to subordinate one's actions and actions to moral and ethical rules is developed, and the skills of behavior in a team are formed. It should be noted that the emotional-volitional sphere does not develop by itself, but requires long-term painstaking work, otherwise it may form incorrectly, as a result, the child's behavior may take undesirable forms, he may become selfish, spoiled, and intellectual abilities will remain unclaimed.

If a child is brought up correctly, then by the age of six he not only learns basic moral concepts, but also learns to act in accordance with them.

The child's idea of ​​himself, of his "I" changes significantly: he begins to have a clearer idea of ​​his capabilities, to understand how others relate to him and how this attitude is explained. On the basis of correct self-assessment, an adequate reaction to censure and approval is developed - the child, in response to the remark of adults, no longer cries, does not quit the lesson, but tries to correct the mistake, find new ways to complete what has been started.

A preschool child often encounters various difficulties - intellectual, everyday, behavioral. But, whatever the nature of the activity that caused certain difficulties, they can be divided into two groups:

• firstly, these are problems that a child simply cannot cope with on his own, due to his age;
• Secondly, these are problems that your child can overcome on their own, using their past experience or acting through their own trial and error.

The main task of parents in the first case is to tactfully, without insisting, help the child cope with the difficulty that has arisen, explain, direct; and in the second - just as sensitively and flexibly to push the child to solve the problem, to force him to use the experience accumulated earlier.

However, adults need to remember that the assessment of all the actions of the child must be as objective and accurate as possible, because a child aged 5-6 sees himself through the eyes of other people, and their attitude serves as the basis for him, the standard of self-esteem. During this period, your baby needs empathy and understanding from adults - parents and caregivers, at the same time, for his part, he begins to evaluate the actions of other people, their character and behavior, so it is very important for parents to strengthen their authority in the eyes of the baby during this period.

By the age of 6-7, a child has such feelings as shame if one or another of his actions does not correspond to the moral standards accepted in the family, and pride if the action corresponds to them, and especially if it is associated with overcoming certain difficulties and obstacles . Therefore, parents need to very carefully punish or encourage the child, his desire for good deeds will depend on this in the future.

It is at this age that a child develops a conscious need to communicate with other children. He learns to correlate his actions with the actions of his comrades, to take into account not only his own, but also their desires and interests, evaluate the actions of his peers and focus on their assessment. At this age, real friendships are born - it is important for parents to teach the child to be friends, in some cases to give in, and in some cases to defend their opinion. These skills are required to facilitate the passage of such an important test in the life of first graders as life in a completely new school community.

The ability to communicate

The ability to communicate and find a common language not only with adults, but also with their peers is another necessary condition for the development and preparation of children for school.

It must be said that the desire for communication in a preschooler is based on the need to know another person, strangers and compare oneself with them. By the way your child is among strangers, one can judge not only his character, habits, but also the miscalculations of his parents in his upbringing. After all, parents and other relatives are the first people who not only satisfy his need for communication, but also give him a standard of behavior. Therefore, adults are obliged to take care of the proper emotional and aesthetic level of communication of the child, to teach him to empathize and be kind to the interlocutor.

Another important condition for a child's readiness, which parents should pay special attention to, is nurturing a child's desire to learn. To do this, first of all, the parents themselves must clearly understand why their child goes to school - not for fives and a good certificate, but for knowledge, skills and abilities.

School years are a part of a child's life, and therefore it is important that it be filled not only with the happiness of learning, familiarization with the treasures of world culture, but also with the joy of communication, hard work and, at the same time, creativity. This is what you need to teach your child first of all.

At school, a child should not only acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, but also learn how to independently acquire new ones, see and creatively solve problems that arise. It is also necessary to accustom a preschooler to this at an accessible level for him. The desire and ability to learn, the joy of gaining new knowledge is the basis of a responsible attitude to learning. As the author of the excellent “Pedagogical Poem” A.S. Makarenko rightly noted: “What a person will be, mainly depends on how you make him by the fifth year of life. If you haven’t raised him properly before the age of five, then you will have to re-educate him.”

Taking into account the many factors in the education of a preschooler, one can once again be convinced that the psychological preparation of children for school is absolutely necessary, and it is necessary to “lead” the mental development of a child from early childhood.

The first and most important condition for a child's mental preparation for school is cooperation with the adults around him: mom, dad, grandma, grandpa. Moreover, cooperation should be understood as such organized joint activity of a child and an adult, during which the latter transfers his social experience in its various forms, and the former adopts it and makes it his own. Therefore, an adult should be able to look at himself and his life through the eyes of a child, constantly caring not only about what and how he passes on to the child, but also that the child wants to learn what is being transmitted.

For many children, the difficulties of entering the school community are due to the fact that they did not learn how to build interpersonal relationships in time, they do not know how to subordinate their desires and actions to the requirements of adults and the interests of their comrades. Not accustomed to consider other people's opinions, children become selfish, stubborn, capricious, unfriendly towards their classmates and sometimes even towards the teacher. If a child is unhappy, impulsive, anxious, then the reason lies, as a rule, in the emotional atmosphere of the family, in a disrespectful and intolerant attitude towards each other.

In conclusion, I would like to quote A.S. Makarenko: “The educational process is a constantly ongoing process, and its individual details are resolved in the general tone of the family, and the general tone cannot be invented and artificially supported. The general tone, dear parents, is created by your own life and your own behavior.

Diagnosis of the development of thinking in children aged 3 to 6 years. Tasks

At preschool age, visual-figurative thinking (operating with images) predominates in children, therefore, tasks for diagnosing the level of development of thinking should be appropriate. The proposed tasks can also be used as developmental exercises. →

How to teach a child to read: important rules and effective methods

October 26LikbezEducation

Teaching a preschooler to read without losing interest in books is real. Lifehacker has selected the best ways for responsible parents.

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How to understand that it's time to teach your child to read

There are several signs of psychological readiness.

1. The child speaks fluently in sentences and understands the meaning of what is said.
2. The child understands directions: left-right, up-down. For learning to read, it is important that the baby can follow the text from left to right and from top to bottom.
3. The child distinguishes sounds (what speech therapists call developed phonemic hearing). Simply put, the baby will easily understand by ear where the house and the bow are, and where the tom and the hatch are.
4. Your child pronounces all the sounds and has no speech problems.

Natalya Zharikova

Speech therapist with 33 years of experience

A child with speech therapy problems does not hear and does not distinguish similar sounds. From here come errors with speech, and subsequently with reading, and even more often with writing. It is very difficult for a parent to identify violations on their own, so usually a teacher or a speech therapist can point this out to them.

How to teach your child to read

Be patient and follow these simple guidelines.

Set an example

In a family where there is a culture and tradition of reading, children themselves will reach for books. Read not because it is necessary and useful, but because it is a pleasure for you.

Read together and discuss

Read aloud to the child and then look at the pictures together, encouraging them to interact with the book: “Who is this picture? Can you show me the cat's ears? And who is that standing next to her?” Older children can be asked more difficult questions: “Why did he do this? What do you think will happen next?"

Don't learn the letters as they are called in the alphabet

Instead, help your child remember the sound the letter makes. For example, you show the letter "m" and say: "This is the letter m (not em )". If a child remembers the alphabetic names of letters ( em , es, ef and so on), it will be quite difficult for him to learn to read. Then, when he sees the word ra-ma in the book, he will try to pronounce er-a-um-a .

Go from simple to complex

Once the child has memorized a few letters (from 2 to 5) and the sounds they represent, move on to syllables. Let the words consisting of repeated syllables be the first: ma-ma, pa-pa, uncle, nanny . In this case, it is not necessary to break the syllable into separate sounds. Do not say: "These are the letters m and a , and together they read ma ". Immediately learn that the syllable is pronounced like ma , otherwise the baby may start to read letter by letter. After mastering simple combinations, move on to more complex ones: cat, zhu-k, house .

Help to understand the meaning of what they read

Do this when the child begins to slowly but surely reproduce words and whole sentences in syllables. For example, the kid read: "Mom washed the frame." Stop and ask: “What did you just read about?”. If he finds it difficult to answer, let him read the sentence again. And you ask more specific questions: “Who washed the frame? What did mom wash?

Show that letters are everywhere

Play a game. Let the child find the letters that surround him on the street and at home. These are the names of stores, and memos on information stands, and advertising on billboards, and even traffic light messages: it happens that the inscription “Go” lights up on green, and “Wait so many seconds” on red.

Play

And play again. Stack blocks with letters and syllables, make up words, ask your child to read you some kind of sign or inscription on the packaging in the store.

Natalia Zharikova

There are many exercises for memorizing letters. For example, circle the desired letter among a number of others, circle the correctly written among the incorrect ones, color or shade. You can also ask the child to tell what the letter looks like.

Use every opportunity to practice

Whether you are waiting in line at the clinic or driving somewhere, take out a book with pictures and short stories to accompany them and invite your child to read together.

Build on your success

Repeat familiar texts, look for familiar characters in new stories. Runaway Bunny is found both in "Teremka" and "Kolobok".

Do not force

This is perhaps the most important thing. Don't take away a child's childhood. Learning should not go through violence and tears.

What techniques to use to teach your child to read

Here are six popular, affordable and effective techniques. Choose one or try several and choose the one that interests your child the most.

1. ABCs and primers

Traditional, but the longest way. The difference between these books is that the alphabet fixes each letter with a mnemonic picture: a drum will be drawn on the page with B , and a spinning top next to Yu . The alphabet helps to remember letters and often interesting rhymes, but will not teach you how to read.

The primer consistently teaches the child to combine sounds into syllables, and syllables into words. This process is not easy and requires perseverance.

There are quite a lot of author's primers now. According to the books of Nadezhda Betenkova, Vseslav Goretsky, Dmitry Fonin, Natalya Pavlova, children can study both with their parents before school and in the first grade.

Parents agree that one of the most understandable methods for teaching preschoolers is Nadezhda Zhukova's primer. The author simply explains the most difficult thing for a child: how to turn letters into syllables, how to read ma-ma , and not start naming individual letters me-a-me-a .

2. Zaitsev's Cubes

If a child consistently learns letters and syllables while learning from the ABC book, then in 52 Zaitsev's Cubes he is given access to everything at once: a single letter or combinations of consonant and vowel, consonant and hard or soft sign.

The child effortlessly learns the differences between voiceless and voiced sounds, because the cubes with voiceless consonants are filled with wood, and the cubes with voiced consonants are filled with metal.

The cubes also differ in size. The large ones depict hard warehouses, the small ones - soft ones. The author of the technique explains this by the fact that when we pronounce to (hard warehouse), the mouth opens wide, or (soft warehouse) - lips in a half smile.

The set includes tables with warehouses that the parent sings (yes, he doesn’t speak, but sings).

The child quickly masters warehouse reading with the help of cubes. But there are also disadvantages: he may begin to swallow endings and face difficulties already at school when parsing a word by composition.

3. "Skladushki" and "Teremki" by Vyacheslav Voskobovich

In "Skladushki" Vyacheslav Voskobovich reworked Zaitsev's idea: 21 cards show all the warehouses of the Russian language with nice thematic pictures. Included is a CD with songs, the texts of which go under each picture.

Folders are great for kids who like looking at pictures. Each of them is an occasion to discuss with the child where the kitten is, what the puppy is doing, where the beetle flew.

It is possible to teach a child with these cards from the age of three. At the same time, it should be noted that the author of the methodology himself does not consider it necessary to force early development.

"Teremki" by Voskobovich consist of 12 wooden cubes with consonants and 12 cardboard cubes with vowels. First, the child gets acquainted with the alphabet and tries with the help of parents to come up with words that begin with each of the letters.

Then it's time to study the syllables. In the tower with the letter M is embedded A - and the first syllable is ma . From several towers you can lay out words. Learning is based on play. So, when replacing the vowel , the house will turn into smoke .

You can start playing tower blocks from the age of two. At the same time, parents will not be left alone with the cubes: the kit includes a manual with a detailed description of the methodology and game options.

4. Chaplygin's dynamic cubes

Evgeny Chaplygin's manual includes 10 cubes and 10 movable blocks. Each dynamic block consists of a pair - a consonant and a vowel. The task of the child is to twist the cubes and find a pair.

At the initial stage, as with any other method of learning to read in warehouses, the child makes the simplest words from repeating syllables: ma-ma, pa-pa, ba-ba . The involved motor skills help to quickly remember the shape of the letters, and the search for already familiar syllables turns into an exciting game. The cubes are accompanied by a manual describing the methodology and words that can be composed.

The optimal age for classes is 4-5 years. You can start earlier, but only in the game format.

5. Doman's cards

American doctor Glenn Doman proposes to teach children not individual letters or even syllables, but whole words. Parents name and show the child the words on the cards for 1-2 seconds. In this case, the baby is not required to repeat what he heard.

Classes start with 15 cards with the simplest concepts like female and male . Gradually, the number of words increases, those already learned leave the set, and the child begins to study phrases: for example, color + object, size + object.

How can one understand that a child has understood and memorized the visual image of a word, if the author of the methodology recommends starting classes from birth? Glenn Doman in "The Harmonious Development of the Child" strongly emphasizes that it is not necessary to arrange tests and checks for the child: kids do not like this and lose interest in classes.

It's better to remember 50 cards out of 100 than 10 out of 10.

Glenn Doman

But given that parents can't help but check, he advises the child to play the game if they want and are ready. For example, you can put a few cards and ask to bring one or point to it.

Today, psychologists, neurophysiologists and pediatricians agree that the Doman method is aimed not at teaching reading, but at mechanical memorization of visual images of words. The child turns out to be an object of learning and is almost deprived of the opportunity to learn something on his own.

It is also worth adding: in order to proceed to the stage of reading according to Doman, parents need to prepare cards with all (!) Words that are found in a particular book.

6. Montessori method

Montessori reading comes from the opposite: first we write and only then we read. Letters are the same pictures, so you first need to learn how to draw them and only then engage in pronunciation and reading. Children begin by tracing and shading the letters, and through this, they memorize their outline. When several vowels and consonants have been studied, they move on to the first simple words.

Much attention is paid to the tactile component, so children can literally touch the alphabet cut out of rough or velvety paper.

The value of the methodology lies in learning through play. So, you can put a rough letter and a plate of semolina in front of the child and offer to first circle the sign with your finger, and then repeat this on the semolina.

The difficulty for parents is to purchase or prepare a significant amount of handouts. But you can try to make cards with your own hands from cardboard and sandpaper.

What's the result

On the Internet and on posters advertising "educators", you will be offered ultra-modern methods of teaching your child to read at three, two or even from birth.

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