At the beginning of the year, I found a simple and truly wonderful idea for my Open House/Meet the Teacher day. I set about putting it into place: a parent wish jar. All it really is are slips of paper that parents can fill out with their wish for their child. I figured these parental dreams would really help me to guide instruction for my students this year in Kindergarten.
After Open House, I opened the jar and eagerly began to read the wishes:
“I wish for my child to read.”
“Read.”
“I want my child to exceed in reading.”
“To read fluently and comprehend.”
Do you see the pattern? Reading is so essential in everyday life that a parents biggest wish is for their child to learn to read so that they can succeed in life. As a teacher, that is my job. But as a parent, you can help your child to begin that journey well before they ever reach the door of their kindergarten classroom.
How you ask? I promise that it is not earth shattering by any means.
Read to your child. Let me explain why this one is something that parents get told at every turn. Your child idolizes you. You are in control, in charge, and omnipotent in your house. They respect you and want to be just like you. Therefore they soak in every word that is said to them. When you read to your child, they are beginning to learn the overall concepts of print. How to hold a book, turn the pages, up vs. down, and front vs. back. The more you read to your child the more fluent they will read when they learn. They hear you read character voices and begin to comprehend the story. As a kindergarten teacher, we definitely know who has been read to and who has not.
Click here for tip #2.