If you are wondering if your child is ready for kindergarten, you are not alone. Did you know that preschoolers preparing for kindergarten are expelled at 3 times the rate of kids in kindergarten through 12th grade? Your child won’t be fully ready for kindergarten if they aren’t behaviorally prepared. We can help!
Important note: this blog may contain affiliate links. If you click a link and buy something, we may receive a small commission. This costs you NOTHING and helps us provide more low and no cost programs. Thank you for your support!
what it means to be ready for kindergarten
As parents, there is one paradox that no one prepares us for—wanting our children to stay small and sweet forever while looking forward to all the new things they’ll learn as they grow.
We have well-intended hopes and dreams for them, and one common hope is that they are able to create fulfilling lives. In order for our children to thrive in whatever environment they are in, we must first understand what they need.
We must start by listening to them and learning from them before we can provide the tools they need for a fulfilled life.
When we think of skills that a typical 5-year-old should have in order to succeed in kindergarten, the first that come to mind are often academic skills like counting to 10 or identifying letters. Although academic skills are important when thinking about sending your child to school, there are other relevant and important skills that can help them far more than knowing their ABC’s.
Behavioral and social skills are essential to your child’s success in the classroom setting. These skills enable children to communicate more effectively and get their needs met without the use of disruptive behaviors. Let’s talk about the skills as a whole and what our Kindergarten Readiness Program entails.
what happens when they are not ready for kindergarten?
One of the most common disruptive behaviors seen in kindergarten classrooms is tantrums, which typically occur when kids can’t have the items, attention, or activities that they want. A well-developed program for life skills targets behaviors like these for change by developing communication skills.
What can I do if my child needs more support to be ready for kindergarten?
The best thing to do is to look for a program that can help your child develop the skills they need to succeed. You want something that is well researched and wroth any investment.
For example, our Kindergarten Readiness Program follows the Preschool Life Skills curriculum developed by Dr. Gregory Hanley.
Dr. Hanley is legit. He has worked with children and adults to improve socially significant behaviors for nearly 30 years. His Preschool Life Skills curriculum works like building blocks. A strong foundation must be established in the early units in order for children to successfully acquire the more advanced skills in later units.
By using this curriculum, our Kindergarten Readiness Program ensures mastery in these critical skills to set your children up for success when they step into the classroom on their first day of school.
What kinds of skills are targeted to be ready for kindergarten?
So what are these skills that we keep talking about? They can be broken down into 4 simple categories:
- Instruction Following—this unit prepares your child for following instructions from a teacher with minimal support
- Functional communication—this unit will teach your child to access items, activities, attention from peers or the instructor without engaging in disruptive behavior
- Tolerance—this unit prepares your child for the unpredictable nature of life by teaching them how to wait before they can access something they need and what to do when someone says no
- Friendship—this unit focuses on social skills like empathy and cooperation that are needed to form meaningful relationships with peers
Some kids are able to gain these skills in preschool while other struggle or can’t access this support because they have been expelled. We are here to help!
At ABH, we want to support your family by taking school preparedness off of your full plate, especially during our new, chaotic normal. Our behavior experts will use the science of behavior and creative problem solving to make sure your child has the skills and confidence to thrive both academically and socially in their own unique way.
how do i get started?
Super simple: click here schedule your free Discovery Call. It takes less than five minutes and your set with a free 30min meeting with me, Kellie, the founder of ABH. Go ahead! What are you waiting for?
Can I see that research?
Of course! You an go to Dr Hanley’s website to see a list of his publications by clicking here. We suggest you read this article in particular:
Hanley, G.P., Heal, N.A., Tiger, J.H., & Ingvarsson, E.T. (2007). Evaluation of a Class-wide Teaching Program for Developing Preschool Life Skills. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 40(2), 277-300.
Want more free resources? We will send you free tips, tricks, and resources once a week, directly to your inbox! Sign up now!