Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

Source : education.com

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: Ideas and Activities for Getting Your Child Ready for KindergartenParentTips: Ideas and Activities for Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten
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Read

to your child every day. Find books with simple stories, and help your child start to think about what he or she sees and hears. Talk with him about what heppens first, next and last in the story.

Play

what's that sound" and let your child try to guess where a sound comes from.
Make up characters and act out their roles. You and your child can pretend to "be" anyone!
Let your child tell you a made-up story during bath time, dinnertime or any time.
Play outside! Run, jump, play tag or hide-and-seek, or play ball.
Make things together with scissors and glue. A shoebox makes a great pretend dollhouse or car. Old socks make fun puppets. A big carboard box can be a clubhouse.

Let

your child "help" with chores by using a broom, dusting a table or sorting laundry by colors. These can be fun ways for children to learn.
Make (and play) musical instruments. Use paper towels, old pots, plastic pails, tin cans (with no sharp edges), cardboard, and anything else handy. Play along with the radio, or give a "concert."
While you're on a walk or going to the store, help your child to look around and explore. Watch the big machines at a construction site and talk about what they are doing. Let your child feel the bark of different trees. Count the different kinds of cards and talk about what makes them different.


Have regular times for meals and snacks, so that your child will grow up eating on a healthy schedule. Eat healthy foods yourself as an example for your child.
Keep an eye on your child's vision. It can be hard to tell if a young child is having trouble seeing. Watch for signs such as stumbling, squinting, or holding books too close. If you think there might be a problem, see an eye doctor.


Be clear with your child about how you expect him or her to behave: saying "please" and "thank you," holding an adult's hand when crossing the street, not talking to strangers, taking proper care of toys, sharing, etc.


Give your child chances to play, both alone and with others. Make arrangements for safe playtime with other children.
Using a doll, pretend that you and your child are taking care of a baby. Say, "Oh, the baby is crying. I think we need to change baby's diaper," and show your child what to do. Or, pretend that the two of you ar friends having coffee together. Set the table, sit down, and start a conversation. You can ask, "So, tell me something that made you laugh this week."


Play games with a jump rope. Lay it out straight on the ground and have your child pretend to "walk the tightrope" in the circus. one your child can do this, have him or her hop along the rope. Then put the rope in a circle and have your child hop into and out of it, first with both feet and then on one foot. The two of you can keep making up new tricks.
Pretend to be in a restaurant where you take turns writing down each other's orders. Also, point out the words on stop signs, billboards, cereal boxes, etc.


Help your child to become aware of sounds in letters. Play games: "What starts with 'm'?" "What ends with 't'?"


Ask your child to tell you about what he or she did today. Listen closely and be interested.

A Safe Home for Your Child

Souce :Parentadvice.com

As your child grows, check all areas of your home for any way your child could get hurt or injured.

POISON CONTROL

Keep all medicines, prescriptions, cleaning supplies, pesticides, perfumes, alcohol locked away.

Post the number of your local poison control center near your phone.

PREVENT BURNS & SCALDS

Always keep your child away from the stove and oven while hot. Keep pots and pans on the back burners and turn handles in toward the stove.

Keep hot liquids like coffee, tea or soup out of your child’s reach; never carry these liquids while holding your child.

Check the temperature of the bath water with the inside of your wrist before you put your child in it.

Keeps matches, lighters and lit candles out of your child’s reach.

Have at least one working smoke detector on every level of your home and in all sleeping areas. Test it monthly. Change the battery at least once a year.

AVOID INJURIES

Look at your home from your child’s point of view. Get on the floor and look up for anything that could be dangerous to your child.

Anticipate your child’s new skills. Put child-resistant locks on cupboards and drawers before your child can open them. Put approved safety gates at the top and bottom of the stairs before she is able to crawl. Use safety plugs in unused electrical outlets that your child can reach.

Never take your eyes off your child—even for a few seconds—when she is on any high place, such as a bed or changing table.

Keep knives and other dangerous and sharp objects out of your child’s reach.

Never leave a window fully open, even with screens in it, to prevent your child from falling out.

Keep guns and drugs out of the home or locked securely away.

PREVENT LEAD POISIONING.

Get your child tested for lead. Test your child yearly from ages 1-6.

Wash your child’s hands often. Before eating or sleeping, wash your child's hands to reduce the chance of lead dust entering her mouth. Clean your child’s toys regularly, especially those used on the floor.

Have a lead free home. Remove lead hazards from your home. Be sure there is no chipping paint on doors, windows and baseboards. Replace older windows. Clean your home after any renovation.

STAY SAFE AROUND WATER

Children age four and under can drown in just one inch of water. Never leave your child alone in or around water, including bathtubs, sinks, toilets, even for a minute.

Do not rely on bath support rings to keep your child safe in the tub. Use lid locks on toilets.

Empty buckets and basins immediately after use and store them out of your child’s reach.

PREVENT CHOKING & SUFFOCATION

Keep all plastic bags and plastic wraps out of reach—they can cause suffocation.

Keep cords for window blinds and curtains short and out of reach; babies and children can get tangled in them and strangle.

Keep toys with small parts (anything that will fit through a paper towel tube) away from a child under three.

KEEP THE INSIDE AIR CLEAN

If you smoke, try to stop. But never smoke in your home. Children who breathe in second-hand smoke have more asthma, ear infections, bronchitis, pneumonia and other illnesses.