Starting first grade is a big milestone for both children and parents. For kids, it mostly means spending more time outside the house. But before they can enter first grade, the school has to assess their skills and aptitude first to see if they are ready to start elementary school.
As parents, you can help your children prepare by teaching them about the following concepts early in life. Make sure to set their foundation before you send your application for an elementary school in Gilbert, AZ.
Introduce them to numbers
As early as the first grade, kids learn about numbers, and these are often used to help represent certain objects as they can be subtracted and added. Lay the groundwork for early mathematics and help your kids familiarize and memorize numbers. Begin by counting by fingers, staircases, or how many oranges there are in the table, red flowers in the vase, books on the nightstand, etc.
Letters and words should be their friends
At the end of kindergarten or nursery school, children will be able to establish a connection between letters and sounds. To enhance their skills, you can come up with activities, such as a spelling bee. You can come up with words and ask each member of the family to spell them out. Words like “cat,” “dog” and “bat” are good for starters.
In order to improve their language and listening skills, you can read stories and ask your kids about the story, why it ended that way, what lessons they learned, among others. This will also help to allow your kids to make sense of sounds.
Teach basic science and geography
First graders are just starting to learn more about the big world around them. It can be overwhelming, but by helping your children learn a bit about basic science and geography, you can help figure out their basic questions. Show them how to find a country in the globe, and introduce concepts such as solid, liquid and gas.
For geography, you can teach kids about rocks, basic land formations and more. You and your children can also do basic science experiments for fun to help them better understand the basic science concepts that are usually taught at school for first graders. You can check the web for related literature, modules and experiments you can try to help prepare them for the opening of classes.
Moreover, you can help your kids understand further how living things are categorized, as you check on other living creatures like pets, insects and the plants around the backyard. Teach them the names of the insects and organisms, including ants, beetles, spiders, flies. Ask how these are different and how they are alike.
History is important
Share your family history, especially the stories of your great family members. You can segue to the broader concept, such as popular historical figures who helped shaped the nation, religion, politics, education and the arts. Children might not immediately grasp the idea of the past, but soon enough they will understand history and its underlying concepts.
Teach your children what you can in order to help them prepare mentally, physically and emotionally. School may be challenging for first graders but it’s important to go to a school that also focuses on values formation, leadership, good manners and religion.