This year we are trying something new – Kindergarten Home Visits! The idea emerged after our Early Years Evaluation (EYE) professional development, as one of the main topics of discussion was parental involvement and awareness. While we have home visits for those in our Pre-Kindergarten programs, some children only attend Kindergarten. Through Kindergarten Home Visits, we hope to better support our children, prepare them and their families for this major transition, and reduce the chances of, what I lovingly term, a “Kinder Surprise!”
Our home visits will include an informal interview to determine outside agency involvement and to start to get to know the child by name, need, and strength. Some of the key things we will be looking for is temperament, social opportunities, and communication abilities.
We have also created Jetting into Kindergarten bags for all of our 2019-20 students.
The bags include:
- a contact/class information brochure,
- Kindergarten readiness information,
- The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn,
- Sask. Reads: Pause, Prompt, Praise
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault,
- 10 Reasons to Read to Your Child magnets
- alphabet flashcards with game ideas,
- a name and letter printing sheet,
- fine motor lines for cutting and printing,
- play dough,
- a pencil,
- number flashcards with game ideas,
- math games with a deck of cards, two dice, and a balloon,
- and, smarties.
We will be modeling a game or two with the children during home visits so that they can share in the activities together with their families over the summer. This will better prepare the children for pre-reading, fine motor, and beginning math skills. In addition, we have a Meet the Teacher Night that all families will be encouraged to attend. Additional games and ideas will be shared to set students up for success. I’m excited to connect with the families and hope that this allows us to better serve the children that we are so lucky to teach!
