Lisa’s getting a bit anxious about Addy going to JK, and doesn’t want her kid to be behind.
In seven weeks my kid will start kindergarten. Math’s not my thing, but I know that’s only 49 days. I’d be full of it if I didn’t admit that I’m seriously starting to panic. I’m also seriously starting to think that I’m a crappy parent.
Here’s why.
I was reading a couple of the “Welcome to Kindergarten” presentations that schools presented to parents in my region, and under the “I’m ready for kindergarten” category are skills like:
“I can go to the bathroom and flush the toilet by myself.”
“I can dress myself.”
“I can sit and eat my lunch by myself.”
“I can use scissors to cut paper.”
“I can print my name.”
“I can print all the letters of the alphabet.”
“I know the sound each letter makes.”
“I can count to 10.”
“I can print numbers 1 to 10.”
“I know my colours.”
“I know my shapes.”
So. Yeah. Let’s start at the top:
Addy’s smart. She’s sassy, funny, super intelligent, perceptive, etc. Her mother, on the other hand, has apparently been lazy. Or too busy working. Or not patient enough. (Or all of the above.)
How do kids Addy’s age know how to write their name? And every letter of the alphabet? Here I was just worried about the whole bathroom situation, and now I’m completely anxiety-ridden about all the things that my kid doesn’t know that she’s supposed to have under her belt in a mere 49 days. It appears that we have some serious work to do before September rolls around.
I’m not suggesting every single three-turning-four-year-old masters these things before starting JK. I certainly didn’t when I was four turning five. I guess this is where the kids who have been in daycare and preschool have the upper hand — some of these kids have been learning these skills for years. I guess I should’ve been working on these things too. I’m hoping it’s not too late to start — I’d hate to have to pull her out; she’s so excited about going to JK.
So tell me: Did your JK-to-be know all of these skills before starting school? If not, what happened?
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