Speaking

Your child learns to:

• Increase vocabulary.
• Gain confidence in self-expression.
• Express ideas in sentences.
• Relate events in proper sequence.
• Listen for a purpose (specific things, directions or information).

You can help by:

1. Encouraging your child to take part in family conversations.
2. Giving your child experiences to talk about.
3. Encouraging your child to talk plainly and to use correct language. Avoid using baby talk.
4. Listening when your child talks to you.
5. Teaching them about following directions.

Reading

Your child learns to:

• Develop interest in books and a desire to read.
• Interpret pictures.
• Discover likenesses or differences in form, size, number and ideas.
• Identify beginning sound in words.
• Hear like sounds in rhyming words.
• Follow sequence of ideas.
• Sound out words.
• Read when ready.

You can help by:

1. Reading to your child. Talk about what you’ve read together.
2. Setting an example by reading yourself.
3. Giving your child books of his/her own.
4. Visiting the public library.
5. Talking with your child about pictures.
6. Encouraging your child to notice signs.

Writing

Your child learns to:

• Be aware of handwriting and its purposes.
• Use art materials and puzzles to develop small muscle coordination.
• Write his own name in manuscript form.
• Write letters and numbers in manuscript form.
• Draw pictures to tell stories and begin to create labels to go with them.

You can help by:

1. Providing opportunities to cut and color large pictures.
2. Helping your child hold the crayon correctly and easily in first drawing experiences.
3. Helping your child recognize his own name in print.
4. Helping your child write letters in correct manuscript form (refer to the manuscript alphabet).
5. Encouraging your child to draw pictures and tell oral stories about their drawings.

Art

Your child learns to:

• Use a variety of art materials and tools.
• Control small muscles used in writing.
• Develop and express his/her own ideas.

You can help by:

1. Being enthusiastic – talk about your child’s artwork and display it.
2. Providing materials and tools for art activities in the home.
3. Developing an appreciation for all of the beauty around us.

Playing

Your child learns to:

• Play appropriately with others.
• Develop large muscle coordination.
• Release emotions through play.

You can help by:

1. Encouraging your child to share toys.
2. Playing family games at home.
3. Praising your child when he is thoughtful of others.

Living

Your child learns to:

• Walk safely, cross at crosswalks and obey traffic lights.
• Dress appropriately for the weather.
• Play safely.
• Practice safety on the school bus.

You can help by:

1. Encouraging your child to practice good health and safety habits.
2. Providing your child a healthy diet.
3. Encouraging outdoor activities.
4. Helping your child learn the safest way to and from school.
5. Teaching your child his name, address and telephone number.
6. Seeing that your child receives eleven to twelve hours of sleep each night.

Exploring

Your child learns to:

• Explore and understand scientific concepts.
• Understand needs of living things.
• Care for pets.
• Share scientific discoveries with others.

You can help by:

1. Taking your child on trips.
2. Exploring the wonders of nature with your child.
3. Planning simple experiments at home.
4. Encouraging your child to share interesting items at school.
5. Answering questions or suggesting ways for your child to find answers.

Counting and math

Your child learns to:

• Enjoy numbers.
• Understand number meaning.
• Appreciate the use of arithmetic in daily living.
• Use arithmetic vocabulary (shapes, large, small, many, few).
• Be aware of early concepts in addition and subtraction.
• Recognize shapes

You can help by:

1. Playing simple mathematical games.
2. Using the calendar to mark special days.
3. Helping your child use money.
4. Counting things during play.
5. Pointing out shapes, numbers, and math in daily life around you. Make it fun!

Understanding

Your child learns to:

• Respect the community.
• Develop an understanding of neighborhood workers.
• Be responsible for self and others.
• Work, share and play safely.
• Participate as a group member.
• Treat others with respect.

You can help by:

1. Letting your child share in family responsibilities.
2. Providing opportunities to meet and play with other children.
3. Treating every encounter as a learning opportunity.