Let’s talk about what parents, children and educators can expect when starting preschool, how the transition into Kindergarten works, and what specific skills and milestones parents should be working on to prepare their littles for Kinder. I’m here to help you get your kiddos ready for Kinder with these tips!

Episode Highlights:

What to expect when starting preschool

How to transition into K

What to expect in K

Check out all of my favorites for preschool and beyond:

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Resources Mentioned: 

FREE Kindergarten Readiness Checklist

https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6070813a1717a7a075fd2e35

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Mentioned in this episode:

Grab your Kindergarten Readiness Checklist Today!

Did you grab your K readiness checklist yet? Teachers love having this tool on their desk because it tells them exactly what they should work on with their students and parents go WILD for this tool because it gives them easy strategies they can do at home with their littles. It walks you through the 7 areas of development so you can track progress and provide support along the way. Did I mention it’s free? Grab your copy of my Kinder Readiness Checklist so you can rest knowing your kiddos are prepared to rock Kindergarten. https://view.flodesk.com/pages/6070813a1717a7a075fd2e35

Chantal 0:02

preschoolers don't really come with a manual, do they? You want to spend your day helping them grow and enjoying the magic of learning through the eyes of a preschooler. You also want to help them deal with all the big feelings that come with being three or four. But real talk, you don't have a lot of time. We need to prep for the day with confidence, and ditch the stress that sometimes comes along the way. I got you. Welcome to the preschool Made Easy podcast. I'm your host, Chantal, a kinder teacher turned curriculum designer, and preschool consultant, and I'm here to help you make this school year, the best one yet. Let's get to the show.

Hey, hey, everyone, you're listening to episode two. And we're diving into what parents, children and educators can expect when starting preschool, how the transition into kindergarten actually works, and what specific skills and milestones parents should be working on to prepare their littles for kinder. Now, this is a jam packed episode. So feel free to grab a notebook and a pen, or simply take some quick notes on the Notes app on your phone. Oh, and don't worry if you can't take notes. Right now, I have a super helpful kindergarten readiness checklist already done for you that you could just grab in the show notes. I told you. I'm here to help make this preschool journey fun and easy for you. So let's do this.

We're kicking this off with what you can expect when starting preschool. If you're listening to this podcast, it's because you either teach preschool or kindergarten, have preschoolers at home or you know, a preschooler and you simply want to help them succeed. Chances are you probably already have some experience with preschool. But you still want to learn more about how to simplify things. Maybe manage the challenges that come with the sage, or you simply want to make learning fun for your kiddos, but not make it overwhelming for you. Either way, I got you. To keep it simple. Preschool is an essential stage in our child's development. Typically, preschool is for three to five year old children. It is the foundation for future academic success. That includes literacy and math skills, social skills, and other forms of development. In preschool, children learn through play exploration, and guided or independent activities that focus on particular areas or their holistic development. Now let's talk about what they actually learn. In preschool. Children are introduced to a variety of concepts and skills. The communication skills mainly focus on language development, social interactions, and active listening. That's a new term for a lot of us right. Active listening involves listening to others, but also building trust and establishing rapport and being receptive to others. In preschool, this is so important. We often have students that may be nonverbal, or perhaps have limited social skills. So creating that awareness in others, and helping them use body language and other social cues to understand each other is so crucial. It can really make all the difference when making friends and just feeling loved and supported in a group setting. In preschool, children also do activities that promote their cognitive, physical, social and emotional growth. Some basic skills, they learn our letter names and sounds, number recognition and number sense, colors, shapes, and so much more. They'll also explore things in their world using art, science, and even building blocks. Creative expression is often a big component of the preschool curriculum. This can be done through fun plays, music and movement, and other artistic opportunities. Sounds pretty well rounded, right? Well, as we know, all things come to an end, but it doesn't have to be the end of their learning, does it? Well, guess what? The learning doesn't end for us either. You might have heard me say preschoolers don't really come with a manual. Well, neither does kindergarten or parenting. Lucky for you. I've been right where you are. And I can tell you, it definitely gets easier. And trust me, when you keep it simple. You'll definitely enjoy the journey so much more. I like to think of the transition into Kynar as a beautiful mess. Okay, hear me out. It certainly is beautiful, right? I mean, the growth we see the things they create experiences we go through together. It truly is the most amazing time in our lives. However, it certainly is a mess. They're a mess. We're a mess. Teachers are a mess. It can be a lot. We have routines that aren't in place. As parents, we cry a lot. As teachers. We start all over again every single year. But we all go through it together and support one another. And if you really Think about it. It is probably the only time in your life when you truly feel that you have a village raising all the children. I mean, how beautiful is that? Let's think about that transition into kinder and how it actually works. Now, a preschool education lays the foundation and groundwork for Kinder readiness. In order to make the transition easier for children. We have to focus on certain skills and make sure that they have mastered those skills before starting kindergarten. Now, I can sit here and tell you a mile long list of what I think preschool children should know and be able to do as a former preschool and kindergarten teacher. But I'll just give you a quick list. Okay, you ready? basic literacy and math skills include recognizing the letters in their name at least, and some letter sounds, identifying some numbers, colors and shapes, counting and sorting. Now I'm not going to give you a definite number because every school and district is different. So you can always look into your district guidelines or pacing guides just to kind of get an idea of what exactly is expected when they enter kindergarten. some fine motor and life skills are holding a pencil properly opening and closing buttons. This is super important when they're learning to go to the bathroom on their own. And cutting with scissors. Taking turns following directions and sharing with others can take some time and we all know this. So I can definitely tell you the teachers are not expecting this in the beginning. But incoming kindergarten students should have some of these skills already mastered feeling a little flustered or like you might need to work on some of these with your kiddos. Don't stress I got you my friends. Remember that kindergarten readiness checklist I told you about earlier in this episode. It includes seven areas of development and a curated checklist for all of the skills your littles can work on before entering kindergarten. Now if you feel like it's too much, simply take it one skill at a time. This is meant to be used as a guide, not as a rule. You know your littles the best. So work on the skills that they need, and the rest will come with time and practice, I promise. Go ahead and grab your free copy of my kindergarten readiness checklist in the show notes. I can't tell you how happy my heart is when a preschool teacher tells me they can't wait to use one of my toddler and preschool activity packs this year. Or when a homeschooling mama tells me they're two and three year olds love them, and that they will definitely be purchasing more soon. Seeing the excitement you have when you use my resources in the classroom or at home is the reason I made them in the first place. I tried to find simple and fun activities to use with my daughter. And when I realized there really weren't any that targeted the skills she needed to learn. I made them Have you checked out my new website store yet. Teachers and parents across the country are loving the toddler and preschool activity packs because they make learning fun and are super easy to use. They include low prep, hands on literacy and math activities your littles will love grab your preschool activity packs in the show notes or head over to Chauncey macias.com/shop. So you can get your littles ready for kindergarten in no time. Let's get back to our show.

So now that we know what to expect in preschool, and how the transition to kindergarten actually works, let's talk about what to expect in kindergarten. Kinder is such a pivotal grade in a child's development because they not only master skills they didn't know they had, but they also grow in ways we as adults would have never expected to see so early in their life. Kindergarten is the beginning of their formal educational journey. The education is much more structured, they now have routines and schedules and new content to learn in different subject areas. Children learn to express themselves with more complex vocabulary and comprehension, storytelling, and so much more. They explore new curiosities with science, art, music, and even social studies. their critical thinking skills become much stronger, and math becomes more advanced with new concepts like addition and subtraction. Reading Skills are also so important in this grade level because they start building through phonemic awareness, phonics, and language skills. This is really where you see the growth happening. creating engaging activities and setting up and enriching environment for your preschoolers directly contributes to their success I have seen this year after year and I cannot stress it anymore, the more fun And yet simple and meaningful activities you do with your children, the more they learn, their skills will progress. They'll hit new milestones. And you will see these preschool babies grow into young scholars and incredible young ladies and gentlemen, as a preschool mama and educator, I can tell you these are the most amazing years to get a front row seat to your child's development, and simply marvel in the wonder of watching them grow right before your eyes. Don't forget, keep it simple. Play with your littles and embrace a journey with them with a little magic and a whole lot of patience, support and love. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I love creating content to support you on your preschool journey. So if you enjoyed this episode, reach out to me on Instagram, and let me know what resonated or any questions you may have. Let's keep the conversation going. So we can support more preschool teachers and parents, just like you see in the next episode.