Fun activities, aligned with the PA Early Learning Standards, to help your child have a successful Kindergarten year. 
We Are Learning in April
Try these activities to help prepare your child get ready for Kindergarten. Then visit your library to check out a book about it. Click here to print the book list.

We are learning Language and Literacy
Do it!
Help your kindergartner collect pebbles. See how many ways the pebbles can be sorted (size, color, shape, etc.) Discuss how some are alike and some are different. Assist your kindergartner in reaching grasping and collecting the stones. Provide the opportunity to feel the rocks with his hands or on his cheek. Use words to help him describe the textures, weight, shape and temperature of what he is feeling.  
Read it!
S ylvester and the Magic Pebble  by William Steig.  Three Pebbles and a Song  by Eileen Spinelli.

We are learning Social Emotional Development
Do it!
Talk about jobs that your family does. How do these jobs help others? What would happen if someone didn't do their job? Talk about the different people, services and agencies who work with your kindergartner. Explain their jobs to her. Discuss the ways this helps her and the family.
Read it!
A Day's Work  by Eve Bunting.  Families  by Susan Kuklin.

We are learning Scientific Thinking and Technology
Do it!
Take a walk outside with your kindergartner or sit in the backyard and watch the birds. When finished, encourage him to draw a picture of one he saw. Have him take it into school the next day to share with the class. Include a note in his communication book to the teacher. Ask the teacher to share the experience with his classmates and record their responses. Discuss their reactions and shared experiences. 
Read it!
What in the World is an Inch?  by Mary Elizabeth Salzmann.  What Will Hatch?  by Jennifer Ward.

We are learning Mathematics Thinking and Expression
Do it!
Eat a snack of animal crackers. Have your kindergartner sort the crackers into groups by animal and count the number in each group. Substitute other foods if there are dietary or feeding restrictions. You can also adapt the activity using stuffed animals.  
Read it!
Counting Our Way to Maine  by Maggie Smith.  How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten?  by Jane Yolen. 
Let's Celebrate Month of the Young Child!

Month of the Young Child focuses public attention on the needs of young children and their families and recognizes the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs.
 
A Partnership in Learning: Storytelling and Your Kindergartner

Your kindergartner learns may different ways, and storytelling can be a great way to not only help your kindergartner learn language and literacy, but learn about--and express--the world around them.

This resource from ZERO TO THREE provides info on how children who are born with no language can learn the rudiments of story telling within 24-30 months. Find out how play and narrative can be the building blocks for a story, how reminiscing with others can create links between the child and the parent, and how facial expressions and body language can impact the story itself. 

In this short video , storyteller Anne E. Stewart talks about telling stories with children. She shares how storytelling promotes literacy and language and helps children get ready to start reading. Stories about family and culture also give children a sense of their place in the world. The video has tips you can use to start a story, then get your kindergartner involved in the story.
Don't Wait. Vaccinate.

When you're planning shopping trips to get new swimsuits and sunscreen, remember to make an appointment for vaccinations. Scheduling your children now for the vaccines they will need to start the next school year will help you cross one important item off your hectic back-to-school list this fall. 
 
Immunizations should be part of your children's regular school physical before they enter kindergarten. See the schedule of needed immunizations for students attending Pennsylvania schools. For more information regarding vaccines required for your children, please contact your children's health care provider or visit  www.dontwaitvaccinate.pa.gov .
Helping Parents Be Parents

Parenting can be challenging. There's no such thing as a perfect parent, and there's no one set way to be a good one. 
 
The  Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance  (PFSA) believes that parents love their children and want to be the best parent they can be. Almost every parent can benefit from gaining a better understanding of themselves, their family dynamics, and how they handle their emotions when it comes to parenting and disciplining children. Visit the  PFSA website  for resources and support.
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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) provides families access to high quality services to prepare children for school and life success. 
  
Find more information about Quality Early Learning in Pennsylvania