Monday, April 9, 2012

Ready for Readiness

Heather Gillum, PhD, CCC-SLP
The Christmas Rush is a widely appreciated season of busyness--full of social commitments (some appreciated and some obligated), to-do lists, purchases, child-focused events and activities, anxiety that I it won't all get done by that #25 on the calendar, and, at its best, a time to relish in the joy and wonder of the season.

Allow me to introduce its counterpart:  Spring Fever.  This is the season of contrasts: beautiful spring bursting out all over the place and luring us outside, then sending us out to buy allergy pills, sprays, and eye drops. The end of the school year looms like a bright light at the end of the tunnel, but the litany of accompanying parties, programs, awards ceremonies, acknowledgements, teacher gifts, field trips, and goodbyes, while joyous and exciting, can make the track feel a bit bumpy--perhaps more like a roller coaster than a train.  It is hard to go the extra hands-on mile at home.

But summer comes, and, ideally, life slows down a bit.  These are the days when working in a little bit of hands-on time feels a bit easier and more necessary.  For children who will be entering kindergarten in August, these days are of special importance as we polish them up to shine brightly on their first day of school.  In honor of these special citizens, we are focusing the blog on them for the next few months.  We're starting now, in the midst of the madness, to give you a head start on this last push of preschool.

Amy and I will be posting separately on the kindergarten readiness skills related to our own areas of expertise. For me, it's language and literacy from the speech-language pathologist perspective. For Amy it's math, general academic readiness from the teacher perspective, and a dose of fine-motor practice.  Our goal is to equip you with a plan to help your child be ready and confident on the first day.

Still feeling overwhelmed or concerned?  Here's the good news:  both Amy and I do currently have openings for summer clients if you are looking for some individualized tutoring or speech-language therapy.  Email us at ahandsonmom@gmail.com for more information.

We do still, at least in my daughter's case, have a good six weeks of school left.  No matter how old your child is, be sure to take some time before year's end to talk with your child's teacher.  Find out what his or her strengths and weaknesses have been this school year.  Ask directly if there is anything your child needs to be working on this summer.  Inquire about any special programs your child's school offers in the summer that might address these needs.  Find out what books, games, and activities your teacher recommends for your child's level, and start gathering these materials. Make a plan.

Coming up on Wednesday we'll have the first installment in this readiness series:  Talking in Circles--The language skills needed for participation in whole-class conversations in the kindergarten classroom.







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