Creating School Ready Kids is meant to help take the stress out of preschool!

Hi, I’m Regina. I am a mom of 3 grown children, 1 teenager and grandmom to an almost tween. I have taught, coached teachers, and present early childhood education trainings. I have just achieved a life-long goal of publishing my first picture book; ONE WINK (available on Amazon).

---

August 13, 2021

Reading Aloud

Reading aloud to young children is the single most important thing you can do for them to be ready to learn to read! People will often say to me, “oh, he’s too young to understand,” or “she won’t sit still long enough to get through a book.” With the first statement I ask, how will a child ever learn to understand if not given the opportunity? The second statement has more to do with book choice, delivery, and expectations which I’ll address in another post.

Reading aloud provides enriching experiences to young children. Many little children will not have the opportunity to visit a zoo but they can learn about zoo animals through nonfiction picture books. Families are not often able to travel to other countries but they can visit anywhere in the world and even outer space through books. Where will your next read aloud take you?

Hopefully, it will take you to a fun adventure and isn’t easier to learn something when you enjoy learning about it? Reading aloud is a fun and enjoyable way to help children develop a love of reading – an essential life-long skill!

Additionally, children’s oral language skills and vocabulary are developed through reading aloud. I always know when a child has been read to often just by how they talk with me and the vocabulary they use. Just the other day a neighbor’s child was telling me about her younger brother and how upset he was. She said he went “boneless!” That child has heard Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems a time or two.

Finally, reading aloud, whether between a child with a parent, or a teacher with a group, provides for critical interactions that develop strong emotional bonds. When a child feels loved and safe he or she can learn, grow, and be their best self. So read a book today with a young child!!

From experiencing my oldest going through school and my granddaughter, I have seen a huge change in Kindergarten. When my oldest son went, KG was a half day, which included lunch and recess. When my granddaughter went to KG, the school wanted her to read the first semester and take bubble test the second. How is this developmentally appropriate? Does it meet the needs of our children or does it meet the needs of officials touting schools as award winning? Please understand – I want quality schools . And, quality begins with understanding the needs of children and their developmental abilities. For years, I have been presenting at early childhood education trainings and “crying in the wind” promoting play based learning. Now, I’m taking my message to this little corner of the internet. Keep checking back. Ask questions. Let me know what you think. I fully believe what Maria Montessori said, “Early childhood education is the key to the betterment of society.”

July 28, 2021

---

No Textbook Required. 

I was walking in my neighborhood yesterday and went past our “little library.”  A large, textbook- like one practically jumped out at me.  The title of this tomb is What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know.  Preparing Your Child for a Lifetime of Learning. and it’s over 400 pages long.  Seriously?  As I flipped through I noticed the table of contents goes on for pages and the index goes on for even more pages.  On closer inspection, I figured out it’s meant to be a kindergarten curriculum wrapped up in a neatly packaged book. Is that a bad thing?  It can be when well meaning parents or anxious preschool teachers try to use it, as is, with 3-5 years olds. And I’m pretty sure whoever left it in the “little library” tried to do just that.  Because, kindergarten teachers are given curriculums to follow. Let me share an example. There’s a whole section on “Sayings” like “It’s raining cats and dogs” or “Great oaks from little acorns grow.” These are not things that need to be formally taught to a child.  If you talk and listen to children, they will organically come to know the sayings that are relevant to their culture and background.   My kids knew early on the saying, “Many hands make light work” as I encouraged them to work together to clean up their toys.  We did not have a formal lesson on this as encouraged by “What your Kindergartner Needs to Know.”

Furthermore, the textbook has Mother Goose rhymes and stories like the Velveteen Rabbit.  The stories are adapted and don’t have enough pictures.  This is not what we want to be encouraging.  Teachers and parents of preschoolers should be reading actual picture books to their children everyday.  And don’t even get me started on the history and geography sections.

Preschool children need parents and teachers to encourage them to be curious as they play, sing, read, and converse with them.  No textbook required!

____________________________________________________________

July 14, 2021 Rhyme Time

Rhymers are readers!  If a child can read the word bat, they can easily also read hat, cat, and sat.  But where, when and how to begin?

The first step is to talk with children ALL the time.  The more children hear language the better language skills they will have.  This is known as word awareness.

Another important step is to read aloud to children of all ages EVERY day.  From picture books, children learn print awareness – simply that the words we say can be written down and read.

When we read books like Green Eggs and Ham to children they begin to repeat the phrases along with us

I do not like them in a house.

I do not like them with a mouse.

I do not like them here or there.

I do not like them anywhere.

And whamo they are rhyming! 

By about age 4, it’s helpful to point out the rhyming words and what makes them rhyme.  Play rhyming games aloud once the children are interested and want to play.  Do not push them and frustrate their efforts.  This is a developmental skill just like walking.  You can not make children rhyme before they are ready.  Continue to give them plenty of opportunities to play with words through finger plays, poems, songs, and file folder word games where they match pictures of rhyming words.  When children are lining up, waiting for the restroom, or snack is a perfect time to call out a word and ask for them to share a word that rhymes with it.  Be intentional about rhyming but as far as the children are concerned it’s a game that’s not lame!  (See what I did there?)

___________________________________________________________________

June 28, 2021

“Creativity is a link to learning”

It’s rather steamy outside so it’s a good time to explore ART activities inside. What is art and how can young children create it?  Lisa Marder writes, “There is no one universal definition of visual art though there is a general consensus that art is the conscious creation of something beautiful or meaningful using skill and imagination”  (Thought Co. 7/26/19).  Small children need the opportunity to create from their own imaginations and feelings, to make something meaningful to themselves.  And, when a child makes something, it’s beautiful!  Keep in mind that just because children use scissors and glue it does not mean they are taking part in an art activity.  Art involves imagination and expression of feelings.  “I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for. Georgia O’Keeffe.”   So, we want to provide open-ended or process art activities for children to foster creativity and curiosity.  This allows children to come up with their own answers to problems they face and what better way to be ready for school than to be able to figure things out for oneself?  One of the most important ways young children can tune into creativity is by experimenting with art materials.  You don’t have to set up elaborate craft activities with special directions.  Provide blank paper (a variety of colors and textures is helpful), markers, crayons, paint.  Add glue sticks, safety scissors, and tape.  Give children time to explore.  Then, watch the magic happen – like my favorite christmas ornament.  We have enough ornaments to fill 2 trees, my favorite one was made by my daughter years ago in preschool.  Picture a white styrofoam ball with a green feather sticking out of one side of it, red plastic berries sticking out of the other side, and a red and white striped chenille stick shaped into a candy cane as the hook.  It is so her – quirky, colorful, and oh so unique!  Is it beautiful?  It is to this mama and it proudly goes on our tree every year.  Give it a try and see what happens.  

______________________________________________________________________

June 21, 2021

Happy Summer!!  My daughter (HS) and granddaughter (5th grade) who did school virtually are finally done with the longest school year ever.  Phew!   While they don’t have to log on early every morning or catch a bus, I don’t want them to experience the summer slide and preschoolers shouldn’t either. 

Picture books are not just for school or libraries.  If you are a daycare teacher in a year round program, or a parent, gather fun titles like Tops & Bottoms by Janet Stevens, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Bernett, or Duck & Goose Go To The Beach by Tad Hills.  There are a ton of books about planting gardens, vacations, butterflies, watermelons, icecream, and all things summer that you can share everyday this summer with the children in your charge.  I remember in a workshop I attended about a hundred years ago,  the speaker said that children need to be read 7 books a day.  The “lazy” days of summer are the perfect time to make reading picture books to your preschooler an everyday habit. If 7 is too big a goal for you to start, try one a day.  Keep track of what you read together and become a part of the 1,000 books before kindergarten movement.  Check out this website https://1000booksbeforekindergarten.org/1000-books-before-kindergarten-program 

or your local library for more information. 

Stay cool! 

RKCoates

______________________________________________________________________

June 14, 2021

Happy Flag Day!  

I read an AP article in the newspaper today  (yes I’m old fashioned and like my morning paper with a cup of tea -never learned to drink coffee) titled, Schools across U.S. bracing for suge of kindergartners in fall;  Some concerned they’ll be less prepared due to pandemic absences.  I understand the reasons there may be more kindergartners this year but they do not need to be less prepared.  The most important thing you can do to help children be prepared for KG is interact with them.  Talk and listen to what they have to say.  Continue to read aloud with children.  Reread their favorites. Visit your public library for story time.  Use environmental print to talk about letters- C is for Cheerios.  Sing songs, especially any ones that have to do with numbers.  Do age appropriate puzzles together.  Allow children to explore with blocks.  Have a variety of art supplies available through which children can express themselves.  Remember that a lot of growth can still occur in the 2.5 months before Big school begins.  Finally, “Cherish your children… for they are the footprints you will leave behind (Taylor Evan Fulks).”