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Kindergartner-In-Training: Unscrambling Words & The School's Expectations

I am sad to report that Jake has not been very motivated to fill in his chart the past few days. So starting today, I made a rule that he cannot watch any television until he has completed two squares and he cannot use his computer until he has completed an additional two squares. This will ensure that he has the opportunity to fill in one whole row and earn a coin depending on which activities he chooses.

Today I want to tell you about another quick activity you can do with your child . . . Unscrambling Words. I started with 3-letter words because I needed to test out how well Jake would do with this. I wanted him to start off as confidently as possible. By having Jake write the word out underneath, it helped him to visualize the word and allowed him to practice printing. (The picture was added by Jake just for fun.)

It turned out that Jake did not find unscrambling 3-letter words challenging at all. I am definitely moving onto 4-letter words for him.

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The other thing I wanted to touch upon today is the packet my son's future school sent home with the parents on orientation day. It includes activities for parents to do with their children to develop skills that are needed to be up-to-speed to start kindergarten in the fall. If you think the activities I am doing with my son are too challenging for your child's skill levels, then this list of skills may give you a better idea of what is expected by the teachers.

1) Recognizing Colors

2) Recognizing Numbers

3) Recognizing Shapes

4) Counting to 10

5) Alphabet Recognition (Capital and Lowercase)

6) Cutting with Scissors

7) Familiarity with Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes

8) Manuscript Writing Chart (Printing ABCs and Numbers)

I was also very pleased to see that they have included a Summer Reading List with lots of books to choose from. I don't believe it's mandatory, but they do encourage each child to read 15 minutes a day and a total of at least 5 books by the end of the summer. There is a form to fill out with the books recorded to turn into the teacher in the fall. I'm hoping there will be lots of Level 1 readers on the list to help Jake practice reading out loud.