Kindergarten

Readiness

Family

Workbook

Presented by

West Ada School District

Kindergarten Teachers

Kids, work with your parents to complete the following pages!

Glue rectangle here. Located in the fine motor section.

Parents, list 10 stories you have read to your child. Discuss whether he/she liked the books.

Literacy Checklist

The following activities will help your child be prepared for the journey into Kindergarten. My child can do this. My child needs to work on this. I: Know my full name and age; Know my birthday; Know my phone number; Know my address; Know my Mom’s and Dad’s name; Listen and follow one- and two-step directions; Speak in complete sentences; Demonstrate understanding of position vocabulary: left, right, up,

down, over, under, beside, on, etc.; Show an interest in books and reading; Retell stories; Understand that print is written from left to right; Recognize print in the local environment; Write (scribble) messages to communicate; Use new vocabulary in my speech.

In Kindergarten, the top line is referred to as the “headline”, the bottom line is referred to as the “baseline”, and the dotted line is referred to as the “midline”.

Use the following page to keep a record of your child’s growth. Have your child write his/her name each month. Make sure to point out the growth he/she is making! Continue to practice throughout the month on separate sheets of paper.

April

May

June

July

August

Literacy

Dictate A Story—Have your child tell you a story. Write down his/her words and show them how language is connected to print. On the opposite page encourage your child to draw a picture about the story.

Family Literacy Activities

Detect Rhyme—Sample question: Let’s play a short word game. In this game, I want you to tell me if two words rhyme. Words that rhyme sound like each other at the end. Listen carefully to these words: hat, cat. Do these words rhyme?

Rhyming shows an awareness of sounds within words. This is an example of phonological awareness and is another reading readiness skill.

Detect Syllables—Sample question: Let’s play another word game. Listen carefully to the word I say and clap or tap each beat, or syllable, that you hear. Let’s practice together. How many beats, or syllables, do you hear in the word basket? (Two claps or taps.) How many beats, or syllables, do you hear in sun? (One clap or tap.)

Breaking words into syllables is important for word recognition. Being able to tap or clap the number of syllable is a part of phonological awareness.

Identify Uppercase Letters— Sample question: I want you to name the letters of the alphabet shown on the next page. (The letters will be out of order.) Try to name each letter as quickly as you can.

Alphabet: An essential reading readiness skill is learning the names of letters.

Practice this activity often. Remember to encourage your child and be excited in his/her growth.

Children entering kindergarten should be able to

identify 15 capital letters.

N D Q I O E

R K F M B S

J A U L P Y

X Z T C V W

H G

Handwriting

West Ada School District uses the Zaner-Bloser handwriting program. Zaner-Bloser letter descriptions are provided. *Please note that the letter formation is top to bottom.

Slant left. Lift. Slant right. Lift. Slide right.

Circle back all the way around; push up straight. Pull down straight.

Pull down straight; push up. Circle forward.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right; curve forward; slide left. Slide right; curve forward; slide left.

Circle back. Circle back.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right; curve forward; slide left.

Circle back all the way around; push up straight. Pull down straight.

Pull down straight. Lift Slide right. Lift. Slide right; stop short. Lift. Slide right.

Slide right. Circle back.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right. Lift. Slide right; stop short.

Curve back; pull down straight. Lift. Slide right.

Circle back. Slide left.

Circle back all the way around; push up straight. Pull down straight; curve

Pull down straight. Lift. Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right.

Pull down straight. Push up; curve forward; pull down straight.

Pull down straight. Lift. Dot.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right. Lift. Slide right.

Pull down straight. Push up. Circle forward all the way around.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right; curve forward; slide left.

Circle back all the way around. Lift. Slant right.

Circle back all the way around; push up straight. Pull down straight; curve forward.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right; curve forward; slide left. Slant right.

Pull down straight. Push up; curve forward.

Pull down straight; curve back. Lift. Slide right.

Pull down straight; curve back. Lift. Dot.

Pull down straight. Lift Slant left. Slant right.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slant left. Slant right.

Pull down straight. Slide right.

Pull down straight.

Pull down straight. Push up; curve forward; pull down straight. Push up; curve forward; pull down straight.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slant right. Slant up. Pull down straight.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slant right. Push up straight.

Pull down straight. Push up; curve forward; pull down straight.

Circle back all the way around.

Circle back all the way around.

Curve back; curve forward.

Curve back; curve forward.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right.

Pull down straight. Lift. Slide right.

Pull down straight; curve forward; push up.

Pull down straight; curve forward; push up. Pull down straight.

Curve forward; slant left. Slide right.

Pull down straight.

Curve forward. Curve forward.

Pull down straight. Slide right. Lift. Pull down straight.

Pull down straight. Circle forward. Lift. Slide right.

Curve down. Curve up and around.

Slant right. Slant up.

Slant right. Slant up.

Slant right. Slant up. Slant right. Slant up.

Slant right. Slant up. Slant right. Slant up.

Slant right. Lift. Slant left.

Slant right. Lift. Slant left.

Slant right. Lift. Slant left.

Slant right. Lift. Slant left. Pull down straight.

Slide right. Slant left. Slide right.

Slide right. Slant left. Slide right.

Curve back; curve forward. Slant up.

Slide right. Slant left.

Circle back all the way around. Pull down straight.

Pull down straight. Lift. Curve down; curve up.

The following activities will help your child be prepared for the journey into Kindergarten. My child can do this. My child needs to work on this. I can count to _____________ I can identify these shapes.

I can draw a line from the number to the quantity it matches.

1 3 5

Math Checklist

1 8 5 4 7 3 2

I can identify these numbers.

Math Checklist

Write the numbers from 1 to 10. Use the model if needed.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Use the sorting grid below to sort one of the following by color: a package of M&Ms, gummy bears, rainbow goldfish crackers or jelly beans.

Math Checklist

The following activities will help your child be prepared for the journey into Kindergarten. My child can do this. My child needs to work on this. I can: Balance while standing, moving and changing position Move left, right, forward, and backward Walk Run Hop Jump Skip Walk heel to toe forward and backward Stand on one foot Throw a ball Catch a ball Kick a ball Bounce a ball Begin to hold writing tools with fingers instead of with a fist Use scissors correctly (thumb up and elbow down) Reproduce shapes from an example

Gross/Fine Motor Checklist

The following activities will help your child be prepared for the journey into Kindergarten. My child can do this. My child needs to work on this. Color the 3 shapes.

Gross/Fine Motor Checklist

Trace the following lines.

Draw the following shape.

School Readiness Checklist

The following activities will help your child be prepared for the journey into Kindergarten. My child can do this. My child needs to work on this. I can: Share Sit Clean up Waits turn Listen Respond appropriately Tie shoelaces Zip Button Unbutton Snap Manage personal behavior Keep track of belongings Show self-control Be aware of routine healthy behaviors

(washing hands, blowing nose, etc.) Get enough rest and exercise

School Readiness

To protect your child and to assist the school, please talk to your child about: Knowing his/her phone number and address; Taking the same route to and from school each day; Observing safety rules when walking to and from school; Knowing what to do if he/she should get lost; Going directly home each day before going to a friend’s house; Using appropriate behavior when riding the bus, van, or walking. Be sure and talk about stranger safety and safe street crossing.

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Glue this shape to the inside front cover.

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Glue this shape to the inside back cover.

Color the picture and add something to it!

www.coloring.ws/coloring.html

Challenge Page

The following list of activities are intended to challenge your child. These activities do not need to be mastered by the time he/she enters kindergarten. Allow your child to write about experiences. It may be nothing

more than scribbles, but it is a beginning step of writing. Spelling is not important at this point, but rather the ideas that are generated. Have your child read his/her story to you. (You may want to write your child’s story in small print on the page so both of you can remember what the story said.)

Make a list, write a letter, and make a sign together. These activities will all encourage early writing and reading skills.

Ask your child to name an object that begins with each letter of the alphabet. Have your child match objects that begin with the same letter.

Name all letters of the alphabet both in capital and lowercase letters. Have your child try to identify all the letters in 1 minute.

Identify the sounds of each letter, for your child. Practice together.

p T D m q g t

A d Y I C F r

v O f c V b h

s i P Q l X M

j W B a R w u

x J U k n E z

Z y L G H o N

K e S

Explore a historical site together. Attend a community event with family, friends or neighbors. Teach your child to snap fingers and do jumping jacks. Identify the weather. Discuss what activities that children can do in

that type of weather? What type of clothing should be worn in that type of weather?

Discuss with your child that people experience many different feelings and deal with those feelings in different ways.

Visit the following websites: www.starfall.com or www.sesameworkshop.org

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60

61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70

71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90

91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

Count 1 to 100. Practice skip

counting by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s.

Randomly point to a number and ask your child to identify it.

Cover a few numbers with an object and ask your child to identify the numbers that are covered.

Make up simple math story problems for your child to solve. For example: You have 3 crackers. If I give you 2 more crackers, how many will you have?

Practice writing the numbers from 1 to 100.

Glue triangle here. Located in the fine motor section.