Welcome to Welcome to Kindergarten at Station Kindergarten at Station

Avenue Elementary Avenue Elementary School!School!

Welcome to Welcome to Kindergarten at Station Kindergarten at Station

Avenue Elementary Avenue Elementary School!School!

Laurie Richardson, Home-School CounselorLaurie Richardson, Home-School Counselor&&

Jaime Curley, School PsychologistJaime Curley, School Psychologist

Signals that a child is ready for school…

• Is able to sit and attend• Complies with directions• Is able to work independently and

without constant prompting• Cooperates in a group

Signals that a child is ready for school… (cont.)

• Has reasonably secure pencil grasp and fine motor control

• Shows interest in print• Is able to delay gratification• Separates from parent with

relative ease

Signals of An Overplaced Child

• After school exhaustion• Often daydreaming in school• Often complains of stomach aches,

headaches (especially Sunday night)• Prefers to play with younger children• Is disorganized

Signals of An Overplaced Child

• Is easily distracted• Is overly anxious, nervous, tense,

worries a great deal• Has negative attitudes in regard to

school• Is primarily a follower

Signals of An Overplaced ChildDON’T LOOK AT ISOLATED CHARACTERISTICS.

LOOK AT CLUSTERS OF BEHAVIOR.

AN IMMATURE CHILD LOOKS VERY MUCH LIKE AN ADHD OR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD.

TRY TO AVOID ‘DIAGNOSIS’ BEFORE GRADE 2 OR 3.

The Five-Year-OldMotor Skills

• Runs lightly on toes• Walks forward, sideways on balance beam• Can hop for 6 feet, 6 inches• Skips, alternating feet• Jumps rope• Skates• Cuts out simple shapes

Motor Skills (cont.)

• Copies triangles• Traces diamond• Copies or writes first name• Prints numerals 1 to 5, and

perhaps to 10• Colors within lines• Holds pencil properly

Motor Skills (cont.)

• Hand dominance usually established

• Pastes and glues appropriately• Copies model of square made with

pegs• Awareness of own right and left

sides emerging

The Five-Year-OldCommunication Skills

• Comprehends quantitative adjectives, such as pair, few, many

• Comprehends verb agreement; is and are

• Occasional grammar errors still noted• Still learning subject-verb agreement

and irregular past tense verbs• Language is essentially complete in

structure and form, with correct usage of all parts of speech

Communication Skills (cont.)

• Can take appropriate turns in a conversation

• Communicates well with family, friends, or strangers

• Reads by way of pictures• Answers questions directly• Relates fanciful tales in own words

The Five-Year-OldCognitive Skills

• Retells story from picture book with reasonable accuracy

• May name some letters and numerals• Counts 10 objects• Sorts objects by size, color, shape• Uses classroom equipment, such as

scissors, meaningfully and purposefully

Cognitive Skills (cont.)

• Begins to relate clock time to daily schedule

• Attention span increases noticeably; is less distractible

• Learns through adult instruction as well as through exploration

• Concepts of function improve, as well as understanding of why things happen

Cognitive Skills (cont.)

• Completes a puzzle of a person divided into 6 parts

• Imitates 2-step triangle fold• Completes sequential block patterns,

alternating two blocks of one color with one block of another color

• Matches and sorts with paper and pencil, marking the one that does not belong

The Five-Year-OldPersonal-Social Skills

• Dresses self completely, ties bow• Crosses street safely• Makes simple sandwiches• Can prepare bowl of cereal• Brushes teeth independently, can

apply paste• Waters plants

Personal-Social Skills (cont.)

• Can make simple purchases• Can assist in making bed, setting

table, sweeping• Chooses own friends, may show

preference for playmates of the same gender and age

• Plays simple table games

Personal-Social Skills (cont.)

• Plays competitive games and enjoys sports that require group participation

• May be afraid of dogs, of the dark, that mother will not return

• Self-centered, with own interests and actions taking precedence

• Enjoys make-believe play

When working on changing behaviors,

remember…1. Look at the situation. Identify the behaviors

you like, dislike, and find intolerable.2. Praise what you like.3. Ignore what you dislike while you wait for a

behavior you can praise.4. To get your child to start a desired behavior:

Give an invitation to cooperate– a choice, announcement, or when/then deal.

Changing behaviors (cont.)

5. Introduce a better behavior chart.a. select behaviors (easy and challenging ones) and rewards.b. observe your childc. design the chartd. praise and reward immediately, ignore non-compliancee. DO NOT make unrealistic threats

Changing behaviors (cont.)

6. To get your child to stop a behavior:Give a command and/or a choice

7. If she/he does not stop;Give a warning of an appropriate consequence

8. If she/he does not stop the behavior:FOLLOW THROUGH with that

consequence

Changing behaviors (cont.)

9. Be consistent. Every time she repeats the behavior, give the consequence.

10. Use a family meeting:a. Define a problem and think of possible solutions.b. Set up a meeting.C. Maintaining a calm tone, state the problem clearly, and ask for ideas.

Changing behaviors (cont.)

d. Come to an agreement through compromise and negotiation.e. Assess the situation in a follow-up meeting.

11. Praise your child’s success.