Kindergarten Here We Come!

K5 Transitioning HandbookCity of Burlington Schools

Office of Early Childhood

250 Farner Avenue

Burlington, NJ 08016

(609)387-5972

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Revised May 2020

Table of Contents

● Welcome……………………………………………….……3

● Parent Involvement…………………………………….…..4

● Ways to Get Ready for K5…………………………...……5

● Tips for Reading…………………………………….……...6

● Making the First Day a Happy One………………………7

● Language Skills……………………………………….……8

● Social/Emotional Readiness and Self-Help Skills……....10

● Motor Skills……………………………………….………11

● Sensory Use………………………………………………..12

● Kindergarten Questions & Answers………………….…13

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● Booklist……………………………………………………14

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Welcome to Kindergarten

Soon your child will begin kindergarten which is also called K5 in our district. This can bring about a wide array of feelings and emotions for both you

and your child. To make the transition easier for everyone, it is important to help prepare your child ahead of time. The information provided in this

handbook will help to make the transition from preschool to kindergarten easier and more fun.

You will have plenty of time to review this handbook and work with your child to prepare for kindergarten. Your child does not need to know everything

in this handbook to start kindergarten. Learning is an on-going process and your child will depend on you to support him/her through each school year.

Best wishes to your family for an enriching educational experience in kindergarten!

Burlington City Elementary SchoolsSamuel Smith Captain James Lawrence

250 Farner Avenue 316 Barclay Street

(609)387-5854 (609)387-5859

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Parent InvolvementResearch shows that students with involved parents/guardians are more likely to earn higher grades and test scores, attend school regularly, have better

social skills, and enroll in higher-level educational programs. When schools and families are partners in education, everybody benefits, children have a

higher quality educational experience and schools become more effective learning institutions.

The most important aspects of parent involvement happen at home. Children are better able to concentrate and learn when they: have a good night’s sleep,

a healthy breakfast, have been read to the night before, and have had a calm and predictable home routine.

Parent involvement at school shows your child that education is important to you. When your child sees you participating in school events, your child

understands that school is an important place. Other ways to be involved at school include: volunteering, joining the PTA, attending field trips, and

participating in classroom activities.

The most important way to be involved at school is to have meaningful two-way communication with your child’s teacher. Notes, emails, and phone calls

are all effective ways to keep in touch.

This handbook includes a variety of ways to be involved in your child’s education. Please take the time to read through this handbook and contact the

Office of Early Childhood with any questions.

Some GREAT ways to spend time with your child and get ready for kindergarten:● Discuss the importance of education.

● Read together every day for 20 minutes. This will be a requirement in K5.

● Listen to stories on tape or CD.

● Recite nursery rhymes and make up silly rhymes.

● Talk about and/or cut out things you see in magazines and newspapers and glue them on paper to make a book of favorite things.

● Talk and play with your child at his/her level by sitting or kneeling on the floor.

● Write a letter together for someone you love.

● Sing songs and play music in your home.

● Find good websites to plan and read together.

● Color and draw together.

● Play word games and board games together.

● Cook together and talk about the process.

● Visit your local library.

● Read street signs and point things out as you drive or walk around your neighborhood.

● Attend events in the community (i.e. parades, festivals, concerts, etc.)

● Play games outdoors like catch, jump rope, hop scotch, or hide and seek.

● Practice healthy habits (i.e. lots of sleep, healthy food, exercise, etc.)

● Limit television and video games.

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Once your child starts school, don’t forget to…● Become a partner with your child’s teacher to help him/her succeed.

● Make sure all homework is completed.

● Check your child’s school bag for notes from the school.

● Fill out forms and return them on time.

● Attend important events such as: Orientation, Back-to-School Night, Parent-Teacher Conferences, Raising Readers, Math Matters, etc.

● Volunteer at school (many activities can be done at home).

● Dress your child for the weather.

● Have a regular bedtime (around 8:00 p.m. is good for most young children).

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Tips for Reading● You can read a story to your child even if you have difficulty reading. You can look at the pictures and make up stories from what you see.

● Telling stories is a wonderful way to give children imagination. Share stories from your childhood, stories about your culture and your

family, and stories about when your children were babies.

● Ask questions. Ask your child to find objects in pictures. Ask what he/she thinks is happening in the pictures. Ask what he/she thinks will

happen next in a story. Ask your child to tell a story.

● Ask your child to think about “why” something is happening. This encourages higher level thinking skills.

● Make sure your child sees you reading.

● Keep books, newspapers, and magazines out so your child can see that reading is important to the family.

● Emphasize letter sounds and rhymes while reading.

● Select books with alliteration and rhymes.

● Create a comfortable area for your child to read. Provide a variety of reading materials within easy reach.

● Take books to read to your child whenever you go to the doctor’s office, on long car rides, or to the store.

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Kindergarten Here We ComeThe transition from preschool to K5 can seem frightening even to the most confident child. Here are some ways you can help make the first day of

kindergarten a happy one.

1. Be positive. Tell your child how important school is and how happy you are that he/she is going to learn so many new things in kindergarten.

2. Discuss your child’s concerns about kindergarten. Remind your child that both you and your child’s teacher will work together to help

him/her adjust to kindergarten.

3. Make sure your child is able to say his/her first and last name when asked.

4. Practice going to bed on time at least one week before school starts.

5. Make sure your child starts the school day with a good breakfast.

6. Make sure your child knows who will be picking him/her up from school.

7. Drive by the school your child will attend for K5. Explain to your child that they will have a new teacher and will learn many new things in

kindergarten. Usually there is staff at the school in the summer. Call the principal and ask to come in for a quick tour of the school.

8. Attend kindergarten orientation at your child’s school!

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Language Skills

It is important for your child to speak clearly and to use words in a way that teachers and others will understand your child’s needs. Your child’s

vocabulary should include enough words that will make his/her needs clear to all adults and classmates he/she will encounter in a school day.

Here are some things your child should be able to communicate upon entering kindergarten:

● First and last name

● Age and birthday

● Gender (boy/girl or male/female)

● Home or cell phone number

● Address

● Food allergies and/or foods he/she cannot eat

● Name of school

● How he/she is feeling

● Wants and needs

● Names of family members and how they are related to him/her (i.e. mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, uncle, aunt, grandparent, etc.)

● Names of body parts

Hair (color) Neck Head Face

Cheek Eyes (color) Nose Mouth

Ears Chin Arms Hands

Fingers Legs Feet Toes

Back Stomach

● Names of clothing

Shirt Pants Underwear Coat/jacket

Undershirt Shorts Dress Skirt

Hat Scarf Shoes Mittens/gloves

Socks Belt Tights/stockings

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● Words for placement and time

Near First Over Sometimes

Under Never Down Night

Up Day Top Low

Bottom High Now Off

Soon On Late Behind

Early In front of Last

Morning Far Afternoon

● Words for feelings

Happy Sad Angry Disappointed

Excited Surprised Confused Frustrated

● Moving words

Stop Go Come Away

Slow Fast Quickly Turn

Run Walk Jump Crawl

Drive Reach Lift Raise your hand

Line up

● Names of neighborhood places

Church Post Office Playground Doctor’s office

Hospital Fire station Police station Library

Yard Street School

Your child should be understood by others when he/she speaks. If you have a concern about your child’s speech, please speak with

his/her kindergarten teacher. If necessary, your child can be evaluated by the Child Study Team and provided with speech therapy if

eligible.

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Social-Emotional Readiness and Self Help SkillsChildren are ready for kindergarten when they understand what kindergarten is about and why they are going there. They are happy to be going to

kindergarten and curious about learning new things and making new friends. Children come to kindergarten with different skill levels. Your child should

know or will learn the following skills while attending kindergarten:

1. Wait her turn.

2. Be away from his family without being too sad.

3. Follow teacher’s directions and do what is asked.

4. Understand that others have feeling and rights.

5. Know how to follow rules

6. Share items, work on projects with other children, and be helpful.

7. Work with your child on problem solving: recognize feelings, identify the problem, think of reasonable solutions.

8. Ask for help when she needs it.

9. Use his manners: say, “please, thank you, excuse me, I’m sorry, can I play with you?”

10. Sit quietly for 20 minutes.

11. Use words to settle disagreements.

12. Eat snacks and lunch neatly, use a fork and spoon, open juice boxes, and clean up when finished.

13. Work on an activity for an appropriate amount of time.

14. Finish one activity, clean it up and put it away before beginning another.

15. Put on and take off jackets, mittens, shoes, and hats.

16. Hang up coats and hat on a hook.

17. Go to the toilet, flush, wash hands, and manage clothing.

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Motor SkillsChildren have two different kinds of motor skills. One is called gross motor or large muscle movements. These movements include running, jumping,

climbing; activities that use arms and legs.

The other is called fine motor or small muscle movements. These movements include writing, putting small objects into an opening, stacking blocks,

turning pages, and other activities that use fingers and wrists.

Look for and practice these skills with your child:

1. Walk, run without falling often, jump using both feet

2. Balance on one foot for a 5-10 seconds

3. Hop on one foot five times

4. Walk up and down stairs using on foot on each step

5. Walk backwards in a straight line without looking

6. Toss and catch a large ball

7. Carry a tray with something on it

8. Stir things in a small bowl or jar – no spills

9. Stack more than five blocks on top of each other

10. Use a fork and a spoon

11. Hold a pencil with thumb and fingers – not fist. Your child can practice this by using small, broken crayons or pencils

12. Open a screw top jar

13. Open a door using a knob

14. Turn water on and off

15. Lace a punched card or thread beads

16. Cut with scissors

17. Button, zip, Velcro, and snap clothes

18. Have your child practice writing his/her first name. Remember to use correct writing style. For example, have your child write, “Robert”

rather than “ROBERT” in all capital letters.

19. Pour from a container into a cup or bowl

20. Climb, swing, ride trike or bike, kick a ball

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Sensory Use

Children use their whole body – eyes, nose, ears, fingers and mouth to learn new things. These are our ‘senses’ and they allow us to know if things are

alike or different. Reading, science and mathematics are based on these skills.

Children in Kindergarten should be able to know same and different in:

1. Size

2. Colors

3. Shapes

4. Touch

5. Sounds

6. Smell or odors

7. Tastes of foods

Around the age of four, your child began to understand what is “real” and what is “pretend”. For example, cartoons are not “real” people, but they are

pretending as they act out a story.

By the time your child enters Kindergarten, the difference between real and make believe should be mostly clear in his mind. You can help your child

with this concept by watching television with him and pointing out what is real and what is not. When reading books or magazines, point out pictures and

talk about the differences between photographs and drawings. Ask your child to name pictures and say whether they are “real” or “pretend”.

Kindergarten Questions and AnswersQ: My child has had the same teacher for two years – I am afraid he will have a difficult time in kindergarten because he is so attached to his

current teacher. What can I do?

A: Talk to your child about this. Talk about all the things he has learned in the preschool and how he has grown. Reassure your child that in kindergarten,

he will learn many new things and make many more new friends. Tell your child where he will be going to school and point it out to your child if it is in a

new location. Explain to your child that he won’t be the only child going to this school from his classroom and that he will recognize familiar faces.

Transitions are a natural part of life. If you reassure your child and explain what to expect, your child will be better equipped to move through the

transition process.

Q: Where will my child be attending kindergarten?

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A: Your child’s placement in K5 will depend on where your family lives in Burlington City. If you are unsure of your child’s neighborhood school,

please contact the Office of Early Childhood at (609)387-5972 .

Q: How will kindergarten be different from Preschool?

A: The major differences are:

● There is no nap time in K5.

● Children eat in the cafeteria instead of the classroom.

● Children are dropped off and picked up in designated areas instead of the classroom.

● Kindergarten classes attend specials such as library, computers, physical education and art.

● K5 is more structured with less time for free choice activities.

Q: Do I need to be as involved when my child goes on to Kindergarten as I was in Preschool?

A: YES!!! Your involvement in your child’s education both before Kindergarten and all through the school years is the single most important factor in his

success in school. No matter how much time your child is at school, YOU still have the most influence on his life.

Many things which make a child ready for kindergarten are best learned from parents such as your child’s interest in the world around him, knowing right

from wrong, his ideas about himself and others, his ability to communicate and his attitude toward school, teachers, and learning. When you become

involved in your child’s education, you show your child that education is important to you. This is something that he can not learn from anyone else.

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Getting Ready for Kindergarten

…..a booklist for children and their familiesAlter, Anna. Francine’s Day.

Begaye, Lisa Shook. Building a Bridge.

Carlson, Nancy. Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!

Cazet, Denys. Born in the Gravy.

Dannenberg, Julie. First Day Jitters.

Delton, Judy. My Mom Made Me Go to School.

Keller, Holly. Harry and Tuck.

Langreuter, Jutta and Sobat, Vera. Little Bear Goes to Kindergarten.

Martin, Ann M. Rachel Parker, Kindergarten Show-Off.

McGhee, Alison. Countdown to Kindergarten.

Munsch, Robert. We Share Everything!.

Penn Audrey. The Kissing Hand.

Rockwell, Anne. Welcome to Kindergarten.

Rogers, Jacqueline. Kindergarten ABC.

Rogers, Jacqueline. Tiptoe into Kindergarten.

Rose, Debra Lee. The Twelve Days of Kindergarten.

Schwartz, Amy. Bea and Mr. Jones.

Schwartz, Amy. Annabelle Swift, Kindergartener.

Slate, Joseph. Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten.

Smalls, Irene. Beginning School.

Wells, Rosemary. Timothy Goes to School.

Wild, Margaret. Tom Goes to Kindergarten.

Woodruff, Elvira. Show and Tell.

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