Get Ready For Kindergarten

I recently led a week-long “get ready for Kindergarten” camp at my clinic. Here are some strategies that I shared with my families at the camp.

-Focus on the right hand during non-writing activities. This is NOT discouraging the use of the left hand when writing, if your child is left-handed, but instead making sure your child knows without doubt where his/her right hand is. There are 2 activities everyone participates in no matter what your hand dominance is: shaking hands and hand on heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. Also, learning directional skills is very important at this age to develop early reading and writing skills. Some ideas to try: high 5’s with the right hand; when your child wants a drink or snack, you can say “hold out your right hand”; put a little hand sanitizer, drop of essential oil, or scented hand cream on your child’s right hand and rub it in to build touch and smell sensations associated with the right hand.

-Stay small…at least with writing utensils. Occupational therapists fight a battle with many school districts as Kindergarten teachers use large pencils with their students. However, the children with the smallest hands should use the smallest pencils. Save the pencils from mini golf-they are the perfect size for your preschool kids. When coloring, use small pieces of crayons with your child. A standard crayon broken in thirds will promote a functional grasp when your child uses the piece for coloring. As parents, we love to hang our kids’ artwork on the refrigerator. Try hanging the coloring page/paper on the fridge BEFORE your child starts so they can work on an upright surface. Kids spend so much time with technology in seated, curled positions that they aren’t developing upper body strength and core stability. By spending time working on an elevated surface, kids strengthen their arms and upper body, use straighter posture, and develop pencil/crayon control.

-All kids are extra tired the first week of school. It’s a huge change to their routines. There are some things to try that may help reduce some of the fatigue and stress with that first difficult week. Slowly start promoting an earlier bedtime and waking your child up a week or two before the first day of school. Pack their lunch box for a few days at home and have you child practice with the fasteners, opening containers, and just familiarizing themselves with it. Don’t forget the water bottle, too. Some can be difficult to open. If your child struggles with anxiety, communication, social situations, transitions, and changes, contact your child’s school to set up an extra visit with the teacher and to tour the building. Your child may need an additional visit beyond the standard Kindergarten orientation. Most teachers and staff are very open to scheduling an additional visit for children who need extra support. Remember to have extra patience these next few weeks; this is a big change for you and your child. Stay calm, give extra hugs, and keep open communication with your child’s teacher. You’ll both have a great year!

-As your preschooler starts Kindergarten, they will be sitting and attending for longer amounts of time than they typically do at home. If your child struggles with sensory issues such as emotional dysregulation, hyperactivity, impulsivity and self-control, and low attention span, try “heavy work” activities. These are movements that engage multiple muscles and joints. Have your child move items on a kitchen chair, pushing it on the floor, from one side of the room to the other. When your child is called for a meal, tell them to come to the table walking like a duck, a crab, or a bear (walking on hands and feet). You can also give your child a “job” a few times a day of carrying a heavy book (such as a cookbook) from one room to another. Place items your child uses regularly at varying surface heights to encourage reaching and bending throughout the day. Heavy work activities can be done at a table by using a rolling pin on dough or play dough. Outdoor activities such as swinging, hitting a ball with a bat, and climbing are great for engaging many muscles. Have fun!