Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD’s Pre-Kindergarten program will help prepare your child for kindergarten. With their interaction with loving, certified teachers, you will see social, emotional, academic, and language growth in your child.
Our previous article, Pre-Kindergarten – Why Pre-K is Important for Your Child’s Academic Growth – we highlighted specific benefits of attending our Pre-K program.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR CHILD FOR PRE-K
As you make plans to enroll your child in our outstanding Pre-K program, you can begin preparing them for this exciting milestone. Below you will find a list of skills that most three-year-olds possess.
Continue to work with your child on these skills before Pre-K starts.
THREE-YEAR-OLD MILESTONES AHEAD OF PRE-K
1. INDEPENDENCE SKILLS
- Be completely toilet trained and be able to use the restroom independently
- Wash hands
- Drink from a water fountain
- Open snack/lunch containers and feed self using utensils
- Manipulate clothing (taking them on and off independently)
2. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS
- Share and take turns when playing with other children
- Participate in make-believe play
- Clean up toys and materials
- Be able to spend time away from primary care givers
- Take direction and instruction from another adult
- Participate in story time or other classes
- Be interested – although hesitant – about going new places and trying new things
3. COGNITIVE SKILLS
- Recite numbers to 10 and start counting groups of objects
- Identify some numerals
- Sing the alphabet song
- Name some letters
- Name the basic colors
- Name the basic shapes
- Listen to a story
- Remember and retell a favorite story
- Talk about things that are the “same” and “different”
- Follow simple three-step directions (ex. brush your teeth, wash your face, and put on your pajamas)
4. FINE MOTOR SKILLS
- Begin to write their name or at least the first few letters in their name
- Knows how to hold a book and turn the pages one at a time
- Color a simple picture
- Draw a circle and begin to write some letters
- Hold scissors and begin to “snip” pieces of paper
- Stack six or more blocks
- Put together a simple puzzle
5. LANGUAGE SKILLS
- Speak well enough that most strangers can understand what they are saying
- Use five to six words in a sentence and have a two to three sentence conversation
- Be able to tell personal information like name, age, gender
- Name common objects
- Understand words like “in, on, behind, next”
- Ask “wh” questions to get more information about things (who, what, when, where, why, how)
6. GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
- Run and walk independently
- Jump, hop, stand on one foot
- Climb stairs
- Kick and throw a small ball; catch a big ball
- Start pedaling a tricycle or bike
YOUR CHILD’S FIRST TEACHER
You are your child’s first teacher and we never underestimate your influence and the role you play in their early education! Just like Pre-K helps prepare a child for kindergarten, working on these early skills will help prepare your child for Pre-K.
We know your precious four-year-olds (some of them still three) are your world and you are eager to do all you can to ensure their success in school. You can give your child a head start in school by working on these skills at home and by enrolling them in Pre-K!
Written by Trina Brazille – CFBISD Educator
Pre-K for the 2019 – 2020 School Year
For the 2019-2020 school year, CFBISD will offer full day, half day & tuition-supported Pre-K.
Tuition-supported Pre-K is a full day program that parents can choose to pay for their child to attend Pre-K even if they do not meet the federal requirements for the free program. Full day and tuition-supported are only available at specific campuses. Please visit our website to determine the right program for your child.