The thought of prepping for kindergarten and doing school type stuff over the summer just sends a chill up my spine. I want to have no agenda and just enjoy time with my baby before he goes off to school for a full day, but after one month of summer his little body is craving structure and some cognitive challenge.
I love to have the extra time with my son and summer, but it is difficult to provide him with the structure and routine that his body and mind thrive on. Last year I had to force myself to put together a summer school program to help keep him on a routine that focused on the areas of disability Easton has while trying to keep it fun at the same time. We focused on reading comprehension and expressive language, but those are super challenging for him and I wanted to still be mom and have FUN!
So this July we will begin a little kindergarten prep that was so successful last year as we prepped for Developmental Kindergarten (DK is similar to preschool with a full week of half-days and a bit harder curriculum). As a mom to a kiddo with learning differences, I was forced into starting this program at home, but I am so thankful for it and we both love the time together to start our day off! I think it would be fun and beneficial for a lot of families and just wanted to share what works for us!
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, these are some easy, no-thought ways to incorporate prepping for kindergarten while having fun with your kiddo.
Starting with my #1:
1. Evan Moore Workbooks
This series of books/tools has been amazing and truly a gift for the not-so naturally gifted homeschool mom. Most have a 20-week program, and the weeks are broken down by day so all you have to do is tear out and get to work! There are so many options to choose from whether you are looking for math, reading, science, sequencing… even cut and paste type books, too. Evan Moore is the way to go.
This year we are using the Summer Activities Book for a little mix of everything along with the separate book for Literacy and Comprehension since those are the areas Easton struggles with. The sequencing and cut and paste books are also great to help build in some fine motor. Before you purchase I would recommend looking at the content for the age level and go up a level if you want more of a challenge or feel it may be too easy for your kiddo. I went with the kindergarten-1st grade book for Summer Activities. They truly are amazing, affordable, and super easy!
2. Newmark Learning: Rising Readers Leveled Books
I first heard about these books from Easton’s therapist, and I absolutely love them. They have great, colorful pictures but not too distracting so the kiddos can focus on the words. They also have great tools for the parents to foster early reading and comprehension. You can purchase a variety of sets in many different categories inclucing science, math, social studies, or fiction titles to support and challenge your kiddo. Why are these books special?
- They develop reading and comprehension skills with leveled texts for children in PreK-Grade 1.
- Each book contains real-world photos and beautiful illustrations that serve as engaging visual aids and inspire discussion.
- There are teaching tips and activities in each book to help parents and educators build comprehension and writing skills.
- There are also teaching cards for each title that include vocabulary, phonics, and comprehension instruction, plus tips for English Learners.
- Spanish versions of each title are also available.
Check Amazon also for pricing and specials. Sometimes Zulily also has deals on them!
3. Mental Blox
I absolutely love these! We have had these for a while but have gotten so much use out of them and love the skills you can work on with your kiddo while playing!
- Recreate 2-D images with 3-D shapes by following pictorial activity cards to stack, pattern, and match.
- A brain-boosting game that blends visual and/or aural processing and analysis with problem solving and strategic thinking.
Mental Blox helps children practice following verbal instructions, formulate and ask questions, and build critical thinking skills.
4. Games
We are definitely a game family anyway, but we have really seen skills evolve with certain games. My family has a great time together while promoting skills such as sharing, turn taking, math, speech development, etc. Some of our favorites are listed here.
- Sum Swamp — Promotes adding/subtracting
- Word Racer — Reading/sentence building
- Feed the Woozle — Children learn fine and gross motor skills, counting, and social development skills with no reading required.
- Zingo 123, Zingo Word Builder, Zingo Telling Time
- Uno
- Yahtzee — Problems solving, adding, turn taking, etc.
5. Super Duper Publications Cards: Difficult Situations
There are numerous things that are focused on cognitive and fine/gross motor skills when prepping for kindergarten, but we often forget the social and emotional side. I love the Difficult Situation series of cards that is just a fun way to talk emotions, safety, and actions during different situations. They also have several other sets that can help encourage speech and language development, categorizing, etc!
