Even if your child is only one years old, it is very important to NOT wait until she turns 4 or 5 to prepare her for kindergarten.

Studies show that the first five years of a child’s life is critical for brain development so it is important to begin to teach your child at birth. Even when your child is in the womb, you can begin to read to your child. Once your child is born, you can give him an academic headstart by doing developmental appropriate activities and continually advance your child as they get older.

Kindergarten is not how it was when you were a child. It is not even the same that it was 10 years ago! With ever-changing academic standards, new laws, and school district policies; it is imperative that you teach your child at home so they will be prepared for school.

There are four main reasons why you must teach your child before kindergarten.

1.      Preparation is key for early success.

When your child enters school, they will be in a brand new environment with other children and a teacher. It is important to prepare your child for their new environment so that it won’t be a traumatic experience. Many children cry and have a tough transition into school (preschool or kindergarten) simply because they don’t know what to expect. You can prepare your child simply by getting him used to sharing and interacting with other children at the library, playdates, or other child-friendly outings.

2.      Avoiding unnecessary labeling of your child.

As a former public school teacher, I saw many children that were labeled or diagnosed for one reason or another. Many schools have assessments that they use at the beginning of the school year to determine where a child stands academically. This child can then be labeled behind or needs improvement, because they aren’t on the same level as the rest of the class.

Unfortunately, even when the teacher provides lower work for a child, the assessment is still standardized, which means it’s the same for everyone. So the child who doesn’t pass the assessment will always be playing catch-up because they are behind. You can begin to work with your child so they are ready for school. Your child doesn’t have to know everything, but if they have background knowledge of a topic, once they are introduced to it, the lesson will be easier for them. For example, a child that knows most of his sounds will learn how to read faster than a child who doesn’t.

3.      School has a lack of one on one time with students.

No matter how good of a teacher your child has, it is impossible to sit down and work with each child one by one every day. Kindergarten classes range anywhere from 20-27 students, sometimes without an aide! Each child has their own needs and abilities, and the teacher has to figure out how to reach them. Not to mention that if your child is not at the level of the majority of his peers, he will have a hard time catching up in a large group.

As a parent, you can work with your child to make sure he knows what he is supposed to know. There are so many things that a kindergartener needs to know from math skills to reading skills, that is imperative as a parent you expose your child to these skills.

4.      Build Your Child’s Self-Confidence

I don’t know about you, but I feel great whenever I am doing something that I already know how to do. So imagine how great you child will feel to enter school, already knowing the alphabet, letter sounds, and how to count?

To develop a positive attitude towards school, it is first necessary to build your child’s self-confidence. Even if she doesn’t fully know everything, she will feel comfortable with the knowledge she does have and be able to better perform in school.

These are the four main reasons why you should definitely teach your child before kindergarten. This is what I did with my oldest two girls, and they have excelled in school ever since. I work with my preschool twins daily, and at three years old they know almost 100 sight words, can count to 30, and can do simple addition and subtraction.

In my KinderStar Course I show you exactly what you need to do in order to prepare your child for school. KinderStar includes a 90-page Parent Activity E-Guide, which gives activity suggestions for each kindergarten objective. It also includes 15 video modules where I show you the same activities I do with my twins, that will show you how to teach your child. I also included printables so your child can practice their new skills.

Learn about KinderStar now.

How do you prepare your children for school? Leave a comment below.