Help your child be excited about going to the new school. Talk often about how much fun it will be to go to the “big school”, about activities your child will do there. This will help your child want to make the transition.

Tell your child often how proud you are that he/she is growing up, how pleased you are that the child is doing so many things by himself/herself and how well you know the child will do in the new school. This will help your child feel confident about the new experiences ahead.

Place your child in situations where he/she needs to follow directions – one-step at first, then two, then three. Teach your child to rehearse directions in order to remember.

Help your child learn self care skills such as independent toileting, hand washing, buttoning and zippering.

Put your child in some situations where he/she cannot do the expected task and must ask for help. If he/she doesn’t know how to ask for help, demonstrate polite asking and then wait for the child to imitate you before assisting.

Read books with your child everyday. Talk together about the pictures and the If your child doesn’t like to sit still for long, read for a brief time each day; even if the book time is only two minutes long, make it a happy time. You will then notice how your child’s attention span increases.

Watch TV with your child, especially shows like “Between The Lions” and “Sesame Street”. Talk together about what you are seeing.

Let your child help you sort the laundry, set the table, cook, bake, put away groceries and organize his/her books and toys. All of these are classification tasks, related to school.

Teach the child to do simple tasks at Most young children can learn to hang up their coats and make their beds. It is good to have a “school box” at home, where the child is expected to keep crayons, scissors, pencil and eraser in order. Let your child help you with light household chores. These very practical jobs also develop physical coordination.

Be sure your child has lots of opportunities to run, jump, climb and play outside. These activities can be done in a city neighborhood, in a rural area or at a park; they cannot usually be done inside a house! Children who have learned to control their own bodies in space are usually more confident in new situations and more capable of managing complex motor tasks, like walking in a line.

Anytime you teach your child to do a new task, break it into little parts and teach each part (for example, setting the table, picking up toys). Reward with praise each part of the task the child does successfully. Very few people praise a child too much; most of us praise too little.

When you go places with your child, talk about what you are Point out characteristics (color, size, shape) and names of objects you view. Try to be conversational, as you would an adult, rather than constantly quizzing your child (“oh, look at the red house,” rather than “what color is this house?”; “I like the BIG pumpkin best – which one do you like?” rather than “show me the big one”).

When you get home form a trip to the store or library or a party, ask your child to tell another family member what you If the child has difficulty retelling the event, help and support so that the story can be told. This skill is called recasting. It is closely related to reading comprehension.

Point out letters and words and numbers in the world around your child. (McDonald’s, the house numbers, names of family members on letters). This will provide a foundation for learning symbols in reading.

Frequently count objects, touching them as you say the numbers. This will help your child realize that numbers represent sets of things.

Talk often about interesting jobs your child might have when he/she grows up – not about making lots of money at the job. Be sure your child knows that most jobs require working hard and doing well in school.

Teach your child to appreciate that every person is unique and special; that human differences are a wonderful part of the world and not a threat; and that all people need to help others as well as be helped by others in order to live happily.

Enjoy time you spend with your child. Positive and trusting attitudes about people and the world which your child learns now will remain with him/her throughout