Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Kindergarten Camp is our Kindergarten Readiness Program that we run each April. Once a week students who will be starting Kindergarten in the following year come and experience what it is like to learn in Kindergarten.

We focus on a number of different skills that will help the children get ready for Kindergarten.

We learn to read our names. A child’s name is one of the first words that they learn to read. Each week we practice our names in a different way. We use scrabble tiles, magnet letters, beads and clothes pins.

We do a lot of different fine motor activities, things that help us coordinate the small muscles in our fingers to do what we want them to do. There are a lot of fun ways to develop our fine motor skills. We use play-dough, scissors, stickers, cloths pins and many other things.

We listen to stories. Each week we hear a Bible story about Jesus and how much he loves us. We also read story books together. We have been enjoying stories about Pete the Cat. After the story we do a craft or painting to help us remember that story. Sharing a story together gives us a common experience that we can build connections on.

We go and play in the gym. This is a great way for us to run and move around and also learn some self control and how to follow instructions.

We practice counting. One week we counted out 10 cheerios and then we counted them as we ate them! Yum!!

And of course we play. Through play we experience a lot of amazing things that help us grow as learners.

• we learn to share and take turns
• we learn to try something new
• we learn to be creative and make something
• we learn to use our imagination
• we learn to have fun and delight in who God created us to be

We are thankful for this time with these amazing children – that we have the opportunity to get to know them and celebrate that these unique and remarkable children are make and loved by our creator God. What a blessing!