Let's Get K Ready!
A Newsletter for Parents of Upcoming Kindergarten Students
Welcome Class of 2037!
Riding the school bus! Going through the cafeteria line! Checking out a library book! Playing on the playground with classmates! So many exciting firsts are associated with starting school. Are you and your child ready for the big day? The Let's Get K Ready! newsletter will share some simple ways that you can help prepare your child for the transition to kindergarten.
How will you feel when your little one goes to kindergarten?
Where to Start? Foster a LOVE of Reading!
How can you prepare your little one for academic success? For starters, you want your child to be interested in reading and enjoy books when they start school! Developing early literacy skills makes it easier for children to learn to read. Here are 10 ideas to spark interest in reading.
1. Stash books everywhere! Keep books around your home and start a home library of children's books. Travel and commute with books in the car.
2. Model reading! Reading is an enjoyable way to spend free time. It is not something you have to do, itâs something you get to do! Model reading during your day.
3. Listen to audiobooks or podcasts in the car and talk about the stories together. Check out podcasts for kids on your phone and connect with Chesterfield County Public Library's Libby app for free audiobooks.
4. Act out stories! Play dress-up or pretend and be characters from the stories you read. Check this site for some examples.
5. Make reading fun. Read with flashlights in a tent you make with blankets! Have a reading picnic! Read to a pet! Create a nook in your house with pillows or a bean bag chair where your child can hide away for some time with books.
6. Create a relaxing reading read-aloud routine. Bedtime is a good time to wind down and read. Reading together is also a great way to bond with your child. You want reading time to be stress-free.
7. Reread the same books to little ones! Kids will learn rhyming, repetition, and sounds through multiple readings. Read about the benefits of rereading here.
8. Talk about the stories you read! Ask open-ended questions and make predictions about stories. Make connections to your life through books and develop empathy for the story's characters.
9. Read EVERYTHING around you! Signs, directions to games, magazines, cereal boxes, and recipes can all be interesting to a child. This will demonstrate that print has meaning.
10. Listen to your child. If dinosaurs are a hot topic at the moment, go to the library and find all the books you can on dinosaurs! Children want to read and look at books that interest them.
Reading is FUN! Getting your child to be print-motivated and interested in reading is not hard. Parents and caregivers can frame reading in a positive light and help children develop a LOVE for reading! A keen interest in books will help your child be kindergarten-ready!
1000 Books Before Kindergarten Reading Challenge- Chesterfield County Public Library
Research has shown that children get ready to read long before they enter school. Reading aloud to children from birth helps strengthen their language skills and build their vocabularyâtwo important tools for learning to read. We challenge you and your child to read 1,000 books before kindergarten (itâs easier than you think).
Win prizes and earn a certificate of completion!
It's easy! Read books with your child and when you hit milestones, come to the library!
- Keep track of the titles that you read together by recording the titles in our Beanstack app or website or pick up a reading log at your nearest library. Download your first log to get started (.pdf file).
- You can repeat booksâas many times as you or your child wants.
- Books read during story times, at daycare, or with a sibling count too.
- And audiobooks count!
For every 100 books read to your child, visit your the library. Each library has a special recognition board for marking your childâs accomplishments.
- Read 500 books and earn a prize.
- Read 1,000 books and earn another special prize and a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten completion certificate.
Sharing is an Important Kindergarten Skill
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