What Should My Son Know Pre K?

I just heard recently that children should be able to put on their own coats/boots, etc...AND zipping and buttoning for themselves is suggested.

preschool will teach him shapes and numbers and letters. Having prior knowledge helps, but isn't required. they will test him to see what he knows and will work with him.. preschool is mostly social and routine learning anyway. If he is a quick learner, then some sight words and simple reading and writing will come into it.

Hi R. - I am a teacher's assistant with Head Start and am also going to CMCC for Early Childhood Education. I didn't really read too much of the responses you've already gotten, but I do agree that there is a major push on academics and I am not sure that's a good thing. In Maine there are two great publications that tell just what is expected of children. It's the Guidelines for Learning & Development for Infants & Toddlers and Early Learning Guidelines for preschoolers. Here are the links to them:

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/ec/occhs/learning.pdf

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/ec/occhs/infantstoddlers.pdf

Those should help you out a lot and you may find that your child is right where he should be!

There is a trend to push academics on very young children, and it's really not necessary. They all learn it eventually and there is no benefit to early mastery. Kids should PLAY and be creative and do various activities to work on gross motor and fine motor skills. Preschools should teach them to work in a group, to sit in a circle and take direction, and to negotiate their own space without whacking the kid next to them. Some kids will show an interest in their letters and numbers, and others won't. Some will know them (recite) and others will write them. It's not necessary to do this before kindergarten. A good K teacher will work with the child wherever they are. Most classrooms work in "stations" with kids having so many different ways to work on their skills. They don't sit in rows of desks, all engaged in the same lesson, with the non-readers embarrassed by the readers. There is no shame in kids not "knowing" onen particular thing - and those who spent a lot of time memorizing letters or being encouraged/forced to write them usually are not adept at something else. I think it is far more important to see where your child's interests lie, engage his powers of observation and curiosity, and expose him to books, music, art, nature and crafts. Free play is really important and often neglected - some parents put their kids in so many scheduled and structured activities that the kids are "bored" the rest of the time. They always want someone else to entertain them, and they cannot think independently or engage in creative or social play. Most educational studies now show that kids are being forced to learn in a new way (especially thru excessive video/computer games) and their brains are actually developing and being wired differently. As a result, they no longer learn in the same ways and the educational models in schools don't work.

As soon as your child can point a finger, or even now, I would sit with a book and show him pictures - let him touch the books with different textures (like the classic "Pat the Bunny"). Do Dr. Suess with rhymes - the musicality is important. Play music, dance, and so on. Don't forget the time-honored games with pots & a wooden spoon, the fun of climbing into an empty kitchen cabinet, sitting in the sandbox and playing at the beach, taking walks to listen to the birds, and so on.

Like you said in your last sentence, "many experiences" should be your watchword! These are such exciting times you are in for - enjoy!!!

Hi R.,

ABC's and 123's should develop nicely in preschool. I'm sure you will receive many responses about reading books to your son. And that's great. Additionally, there are many opportunities you can provide, which will increase his ability to benefit from formal education. The first is family mealtime. Research indicates that conversation at mealtime is the best faciliator of expressive language for young children. It is so important to provide many opportunities to develop large and small muscles through outdoor play and small motor play. Outside play should include running, climbing, hopping, tossing and catching large balls, kicking balls, playing in sand and water, etc. Small motor play should include playdoh, finger paints, crayons and markers on an easel, glue and odd junk pieces for gluing, etc. Additional, daily experiences with music would be very helpful. A variety of music is best, as each type excites and energizes a different part of the brain. Have fun!

Don't worry about academic readiness. Preschool and kindergarten programs have different standards, but if he goes knowing how to get along with others and respect authority, he'll be ahead of the game.

Play with your son, talk to him, breastfeed if possible. Arrange playdates once in a while when he gets to be preschool age.

Good manners, how to listen, how to respect other people, how to share, and how to ask for help.

My daughter is in kindergarten this year in Ledyard, and I was surprised at what they didn't expect her to know! I figured she'd need to know her letters and numbers up to 20, colors, and shapes. So we prepared her very well and she was even starting to sound out basic words when she started last fall.
Boy was I surprised when I found out they were starting off with tracing letters and letter recognition! They didn't even start writing numbers until just last month! They started math with patterns and counting blocks.
I think they really want children to know how to follow directions from adults besides their parents, take turns, be able to sit and listen quietly, raise their hands and walk in line. They should have an awareness of how to hold a book, a pencil and of the written language- basic alphabet awareness but not necessarily recognizing all the letters and sounds. Social skills are important, making friends and being able to tell the teacher if they need to use the bathroom.
I am happy that my daughter was so well prepared. But honestly she's quite bored. Today she brought home a sheet with the letters S, V, X, Y, and Z. She had to trace each several times and write each letter 3 times. It's stuff she's been doing for over two years now! It's frustrating- but that's where the other children are.
I sure hope this helps. I know preschools often hand out kindergarten readiness pamphlets- so you could probably contact your local elementary school and see if they have something like that for parents.
Kindergarten is fun!
-S.

I am reading a very interesting book called Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax right now that may be of interest to you. It talks about how the changes in education over the last twenty years or so are, in part, causing boys to be less motivated. Part of what he writes is the fact that boys brains develop differently from girls and that they may not be ready for today's kindergarten as early as girls are, which is why so many parents keep their boys home for one more year in many areas. I am only on chapter three of the book but so far it is interesting and matches my experience. NOt really the answer you were looking for, but a consideration on the topic. Students from Finland consistantly scores highest among developed nations and the single thing they do differently is begin formal schooling at age 7, not earlier. Also, just getting out and playing in the dirt and experiencing different things in nature are very important for development. Just food for thought.

I just looked up the same info on the internet and this is what I got....

What Your Child Should Know and Be Able to Do Upon Entering Kindergarten
Source: Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County
Topics: Spring, Is My Child Ready for Kindergarten?
Care for Personal Needs
___Can blow nose, cover sneeze
___Is independent in using the toilet
___Can wash own hands
___Can snap, button, zipper or belt own pants
___Can take off and put on coat
___Can tie shoes
___Recognizes own possessions: jacket, lunchbox, etc.
___Can eat unassisted
___Can use silverware
___Will put away toys when asked

Social
___Will listen to an adult and do as told
___Can cooperate with other children
___Can play with other children without hitting or biting
___Can sit for short periods (15 min.)
___Can follow a rule
___Understands and follows oral directions

Intellectual
___Shows an interest in books and reading
___Holds book and turns pages correctly
___Knows some songs, rhymes
___Participates in rhyming games
___Identifies some letters (especially those in own name)
___Identifies labels and signs in the environment
___Pretends to read and write
___Knows first and last name
___Knows names of family members
___Can tell about an experience
___Can tell and retell familiar stories
___Can communicate personal needs
___Has had a variety of experiences such as library, park, zoo, grocery store, post office
___Can use crayons, pencil, scissors
___Expresses ideas with drawings
___Is willing to try to complete a task

Health
___Has had all required immunizations
___Has had a health check-up
___Receives medical care when sick
___Receives dental check-ups regularly
___Eats at regular times each day
___Gets eight or more hours of sleep at night
___Can run, jump, climb, swing and use balls

Don't rush him. Enjoy every moment it goes by so quickly.
My little one is going to be 3 next week. I have enjoyed every minuite.

by pre K if you mean kindergarten, then how about his full name, mommy and daddy's name, the street you live on, the town in which you live. maybe even your phone number. sharing, and being quiet when told to are also a plus.
enjoy your little one!!

Hi R.,
Of course the basics will come with each level. The main purpose of preschool is to teach social skills. To make sure our children are socially as well as emotionally transitioning from a class of one to a class of many. My suggestion is to have fun with him. Make sure he is able to interact with other children on a semi regular basis, museums, parks etc. This is coming from a former Pre-school Teacher and more importantly a Mom.

T. G.

honestly, he should be having many opportunities for group play and socialization. It's much more important than the facts of school. He needs to believe in his ability to figure things out and take pride in what he accomplishes. Give him lots of opportunities to play independently with non-structured things that allow him to create and explore, preferably with other children.

I agree with many of the suggestions...and just want to stress that social skills are a really important part of what kids need to learn early on. How to cooperate, how to share, how to take turns, how to respect others feelings, and how to express their own feelings in appropriate ways. Your son will learn all of those things from you, from what you model, and from time with other children, with you and other adults intervening when need be. For many kids it takes much patient repetition before they have enough self control to do these things - some kids learn earlier, some later. But these kind skills make children responsible community members, able to respect themselves and others, and more able to focus on academic skills later. Have fun and good luck!

You should look at the Core Knowledge series: What Your Preschooler needs to know and What your Kindergartner needs to know. These follow the Core Knowledge curriculum and break down what students should be learning each year (they go through high school)in the various subject areas. Additionally, you might want to look at the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, which also cover all the major subject areas for grade level.

A good preschool should not expect your child to know anything, except to be able to ask for assistance if needed. They will build on what he does know - usually through play. As far as kindergarten - in part depends on the teacher. My older daughter had a kindergarten teacher that was tough! She had to learn to read some very tough words - about 150 of them - things like "pretty", etc. - it was a tough year. Luckily, she already knew her phonics going on - but I had been told she didn't even need to know the alphabet at an orientation. I've volunteered in my younger daughter's kindergarten. Her teacher is a peach, and doesn't expect the kids to come in knowing anything. Some of them can read, and some don't even know the alphabet. It's easier for them if they do know the alphabet, numbers, color, shapes as you already know. You might try some of the phonics with him when he seems interested. And it would be very helpful if he learns to write his name by the time he is about 4 years old - usually the preschool works with them on recognizing the name and starting to write it. At 7.5 months you should not be worrying about any of this at all. Plenty of time, you can just throw these things in as you're playing and he'll get there fast. Enjoy!

I know you want your son to be the best and brightest and he will be..but he is 7.5 months old and you should be focusing on his current development and what he should be doing now to develope the skills he will need later.
He does not need to know some of these things now..they are for when he is past 1 and older. Look at a few developmental charts for babies his age..is he babbling, is he crawling, crusing? this is what needs ot be worked on now
My son was delayed due to being a preemie, I so wanted him to be on those charts! lol
If you skip past some of his needs now to help him for later he may miss out on what he needs now..pre-k is a few years away still do not miss out on his babyness by looking forward too far. Find a moms club and meet other moms with babies his age and help him learn baby social skills too.

Hi R.,
It is great for them to know his correct name,address and phone number, as well as Mom and Dads names. Learning to clean up after themselves.

If you are spending a lot of time with him...it is a good idea to spend some time without you around. Seperation anxiety is very hard on many children. Play groups are good too, so they can learn social skills like sharing and caring for those around them.

Children are our lives, as moms our job is to teach them independence, right from wrong, manners, morals and respect. You want them to grow up loving life and realizing all it has to offer.

Parenting is a huge job with a lot of responsibility....to make him the best citizen he can be.

I was a stay at home mom and I have never been sorry for that choice. I wouldn't have missed one minute of it for any amount of money in the world. I have 3 grown children, one is a teacher, one is a corrections office and one is a rancher. They have all grown to be responsible citizens.
L. G.

Hi R.,
I couldn't agree more with Rose's post. Read a lot, talk all day...even narrate...they understand more before they can express it, play with your whole body..jump, climb, run, play with your fingers....chalk, playdoh etc. Enjoy your time together and love one another.