NEA Offers School Readiness Guide

Kirsten Haugen notes that the National Education Association has prepared a school readiness guide for parents, including simple pointers for academic readiness, social readiness, independence, and communication skills.  The tips are not rocket science, but they are ready to use online or in a colorful brochure you can freely download, print, and distribute to prospective or enrolled families (http://www.nea.org/parents/preparechild.html).

The NEA’s brochure encourages parents to read, sing, and play with their children.  It offers simple ways to explore writing, language, and problem-solving.  And it gives parents tips for encouraging empathy, and positive ways to express feelings.  Ideas for encouraging independence include providing clothes and shoes that are easy to fasten, and giving children time to dress and undress themselves.  Parents are also reminded to communicate often with their kids, including writing notes and letting young children dictate notes to family and friends.  The brochure concludes with additional parenting resources for encouraging young children in reading, science, and math.

To view the guide online, visit http://www.nea.org/parents/preparechild.html.  To download the brochure, click the “pdf” link at the top of the page -- you’ll need a pdf reader such as Acrobat to open and print the file.

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