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Preparing for school: activities for children

This post provides activities to help prepare children for the start of the school year. Parents and teachers are given a variety of ideas such as books, math, crafting, and outdoor activities to introduce children to the new school year. These activities not only help children get ready for the upcoming school year, but they also build their self-confidence, time management skills, and problem-solving abilities. Using these activities, children can better equip themselves for a successful school year and develop the essential qualities needed for learning throughout their education.

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Preparing a child for admission to grade 1 is not easy. Some parents and grandparents are ready to teach the future first-grader all night long. In recent years, preparatory courses, which are available at many secondary schools, gymnasiums and in special children’s centers, have become very popular. In general, each child (preschooler) must go through the whole preparatory process, which consists of certain stages, only then preparation for school will be successful.

What a child should know and be able to do before entering school

Preparing children for school takes a lot of time, so some parents prefer to send their children to private schools. Such institutions are recruiting groups of preschool children to learn everything they need under the guidance of professional educators. At the same time, families should also regularly engage with children, because in any case, an individual approach is important. So that a child can adapt to school subjects without great difficulties, he must:

  • know the letters;
  • be able to read (you can syllable) small simple texts;
  • have writing skills;
  • know the seasons, the names of months, days;
  • know your surname, name, patronymic;
  • have a good memory to remember 5-7 out of 10 clearly named simple words;
  • find similarities and differences between objects;
  • be able to subtract and add numbers within the first ten;
  • know the basic geometric shapes;
  • know 10-12 primary colors, etc.

Methods of preparing children for school

Before giving certain tasks to prepare your child for school, check out a few popular methods. With their help, the child during the training can acquire all the necessary skills. The teaching methods are usually aimed at developing fine motor skills, logical thinking, obtaining mathematical knowledge, etc. In this case, taking into account the individual characteristics of the preschooler, you need to do his physical training. Known methods of primary education:

  • Zaitseva;
  • Montessori
  • Nikitins.

Zaitsev’s technique

In order for a child’s pre-school education at home to be successful, pay attention to Zaitsev’s methodology, which includes an approach to teaching reading, writing, English and Russian. It involves the use of visual perception of information. The basic principle is to teach the baby everything necessary without harm to health and taking into account individual characteristics. She is able to activate the channels of perception of information, saving time and saving the baby from cramming. Minus: with individual lessons, the technique is implemented worse than with group.

Boy playing with cubes

Montessori Technique

An individual school preparation program that helps prepare a future first grader can be organized in accordance with the Montessori methodology. It pays great attention to the development of sensations and fine motor skills of the baby. In the learning process, it is not necessary to use any special aids. Parents must create a full-fledged developmental environment for the baby. The downside is the lack of role-playing and outdoor games in the methodology.

Nikitins technique

To improve your knowledge with homework, check out the Nikitins technique. Its basic principles are development, which should be creative, free. Classes are held, alternating: intellectual, creative, sports. The sports atmosphere plays a fundamental role in the formation of the baby, so all conditions for this should be created in your home. The technique is creative, with emphasis on physical development, creativity, but there is a minus – not all children have a desire to learn.

Preparatory classes for school

You need to start practicing with your baby from an early age. Particular attention must be paid to psychological preparation. At first, the tasks are performed in a playful way, but then they become more complex, but interesting. Children receive basic knowledge, as a rule, in kindergartens. Great results can be achieved both at home, by inviting a private tutor, and by sending the child to special development centers or preparatory courses at schools.

School Preparation Courses

Having decided to choose preparatory courses for the school, consider the choice of a suitable institution thoroughly. Such courses are available both at the schools themselves and in educational centers, i.e. non-profit organizations. With the help of complex activities, the collective children can adapt to the school system, lessons. Often, at such courses, preschoolers are taught so that they easily perform the necessary exercises and correctly answer certain questions. It is much more important that the baby knows how to think creatively, independently reason and draw conclusions.

Preschool tutor

A tutor for a preschooler is a great option to teach your child to read and write, prepare him for future interviews at school. Moreover, some teachers additionally teach children English. Do not forget that a tutor for preparing a child for school should have a teacher education and relevant qualifications. A great advantage of tutoring is an individual approach that will help develop attention, reasoning skills, etc. At the same time, the child will receive deeper knowledge. Cons: it is difficult to find a worthy teacher, high cost.

Girl writes letters on a blackboard

How much does it cost to prepare a child for school

Preparatory courses will increase the child’s readiness for admission, especially if you plan to send him to school. It is recommended that you prepare for those children who do not attend kindergarten. Classes in specialized institutions are aimed at mastering the basics of writing and reading and writing, teaching reading, developing speech and musical skills, etc. Some centers teach chess, foreign languages, etc. The cost of training in Moscow:

Center Name The cost of rubles
“THE LITTLE PRINCE” 600 for 1 lesson
LUCH from 7600 / month 2 times / week
“CONSTELLATION” From 28000 / month for children 4-6 years old, 5 times / week
“PRESIDENTIAL SCHOOL” Comprehensive training of 11,000 in 4 lessons of 90 minutes

Free training

Kindergarten teachers should lay the foundations for counting, writing, and reading. Parents have a more important task – to teach the kids to finish what they have started, let it be some examples from mathematics, a lesson in drawing, or something else. So that your child in terms of development corresponds to his age, try to communicate more with him, answering all questions. Pay attention to active games, physical development, teach independence and safety rules.

How to prepare your child for school on your own

To develop memory, the ability to think logically and other skills at home, read or watch cartoons together, discussing what the child has learned. Often be interested in the opinion of the baby, asking questions. Try to make homework fun for the preschooler. The advantage of home preparation is cost savings, and the right materials can always be found on the Internet. Quality can be a minus, because not all parents have a pedagogical education. In addition, family activities do not always discipline the baby.

Where to start training

According to psychologists, the most suitable age for starting a future first-grader is 3-4 years. Begin to teach your child to read and count in a playful way, for example, while walking, count with him the number of houses, cars, etc. Do crafts together, paying attention to the artistic development of the future first-grader: draw, create applications, sculpt, assemble puzzles. Equip a comfortable desk at home. Pay attention to the motivation of your child, otherwise, learning will progress slowly.

Program

You should not prepare your child for school in an abstract way; try to find requirements, tests, tasks and specific examples of questions. To develop fine motor skills, a child must string pasta or beads, cut something out of paper, paint, create applications, embroider, knit, etc. To teach your baby everything you need, pay attention to the following lesson plan:

Course name Hours per week
Speech development, training preparation 1
Introduction to Math 1
The development of motor skills 1
Acquaintance with the outside world 1
Introduction to Fiction 1
Preparing your hand for writing 1

Materials

To teach your child everything that is needed when entering school, use special visual materials. You can find them in large numbers on thematic web resources. For the development of logical thinking, attention, memory and imagination, there are many developmental games that require multi-colored cardboard. For example, to read and write, you will need a picture book: select any letter, say it several times and suggest the child draw a pencil around the page. Learn more in the manuals.

A woman reads with a girl

Games for preparing for preschool children

Educational games will help future preschoolers consolidate their knowledge of the alphabet, learn how to compose words, write and read. In addition, such activities contribute to the development of attention and concentration. Moreover, a preschool child is often distracted and cannot concentrate for a long time on one kind of activity. Games that will help in the development of the baby:

  • Title: “Book Detective”.
  • Purpose: to develop quick thinking, to teach how to correlate letters with specific pictures.
  • Material: book with illustrations.
  • Description: Give the child a task to find a picture in a book for a specific letter. If several children participate in the game, then enter the element of competition, i.e. the winner will be the one who finds more needed pictures.

Here is another good option:

  • Title: “Illustrator Artist”.
  • Purpose: to teach how to use a book, to develop logic, imagination.
  • Material: several books.
  • Description: read a small story or verse to your child, then invite him to pick up drawings for him from other books. Then ask them to retell a brief plot of what they read based on the selected pictures..

Educational activities

As a developmental exercise, you can use any labyrinths where a character needs help getting to the exit or getting somewhere. There are many games that help improve concentration and increase its volume. Some exercises contribute to the development and randomness of attention. A good option for a development game:

  • Title: “Flowers in the flowerbed”
  • Goal: develop logical thinking.
  • Material: multi-colored cardboard.
  • Description: cut from a cardboard three flowers of blue, orange, red and three flowerbeds of rectangular, square, round shape. Let the baby distribute the colors on the flowerbeds based on the story – red flowers did not grow on a square or round flower bed, orange – not on a rectangular or round.

Another game that is great for developing a variety of skills among preschoolers:

  • Title: “How are they similar and how do they differ?”
  • Goal: develop logical thinking.
  • Description: offer children two objects that they must compare and indicate their differences, similarities.

Kids are playing

How to psychologically prepare a child for school

The personal and social readiness of the preschooler is that by the time he enters, he must be fully prepared both for communication and interaction with peers and adults. In order for the psychological preparation to be truly successful, provide the opportunity for the baby to independently establish contacts with others on the playground.

The so-called “home children” are often afraid of a large crowd, although not all adults feel comfortable in the crowd. At the same time, one should not forget that the future first-grader will be in the team, so try to get out from time to time for mass events. Motivate the baby – if he is used to constant praise at home, then evaluate not every step, but the finished result.

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Comments: 3
  1. Everly

    What are some engaging and educational activities for children to prepare them for school? I want to ensure my child is ready for the upcoming school year and would love suggestions on ways to make learning fun at home. Any ideas or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply
  2. Piper

    What are some engaging and interactive activities that I can use to help my child prepare for school?

    Reply
  3. Zoey Wright

    What are some fun and engaging activities that can help prepare children for school? I am eager to know how to make the transition smoother and ensure they are well-prepared academically and socially. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply
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