Good behavior at school - ready for kindergarten checklist

One of the reasons why we decided to send our youngest to school, is his lack of focus and attention. Whenever we would have our playgroup session at home, with me as their teacher, big girl Lois would be very attentive while Carlos would be doing other things. Sometimes, even forcing me to do what he's doing too.

Plus, seeing what some kids are able to do at his incoming preschool level, like writing letters, their names and reading, we wanted him to be more prepared.

That's why we enrolled him for 2011-2012 under Nursery 2. If we're lucky, we'd get the same teachers as Lois had. Right now, they are the ones conducting the required summer class for new enrollees.

Surprisingly enough, Carlos has been doing well. When I peep into their classroom's window, I see him one of those listening and following teacher. His works are displayed along with his classmates too.

Kindergarten Readiness Checklistby 
As for our Lois, she will be an incoming kinder student by June 2011. Checking her against the checklist noted by Peggy Gisler, Ed.S. and Marge Eberts, Ed.S., I am confident that she will enjoy this new challenge.

1. Listen to stories without interrupting - One night, as Lois was begging for a bedtime storry, daddy told her about Jack and Jill with most of the words coming out from the nursery rhyme. I though she wouldn't get it, but at the end of the story, she was joining her dad say the next words already.
2. Recognize rhyming sounds - Thanks to Sesame Street and Dr. Seuss, Lois can pretend to be a DJ dishing out rhyming words. Her sentences don't make a lot of sense, though.
3. Pay attention for short periods of time to adult-directed tasks - Maybe calloused from the many times I scold her, she pays attentions to the tasks I give her. She never forgets to answer the phone the way I taught her. However, answering confidently when an adult talks to her is still something she has to master.
4. Understand actions have both causes and effects - Lois doesn't like day time. Maybe because we don't get to do a lot of interesting things and she'd rather sleep. She also wishes it won't rain.
5. Show understanding of general times of day - Listening to a conversation between my two kids, I sometimes would correct how they would refer to something that had happened in the past. Carlos would always say yesterday. Lois would correct her to mean a while ago. Both of them still don't get it yet.
6. Cut with scissors - This is a love-hate thing. I love it that her fine motor skills can control that sharp object in cutting papers and food wrappers. However, the house is always a mess after she plays cutting-and-paste!
7. Trace basic shapes - She loves to put her Disney princess stickers on paper and cut it. If I am not a parent, I would think she's nuts.
8. Begin to share with others - Sharing, sharing, sharing. How many adults have mastered this? It goes against our evil nature to think well of others. As I teach Lois this, I make sure I exhibit it too. Giving generously, with a smile, promptly.
9. Start to follow rules - I hope it was just the lull in her schedule, but I caught them - Lois and Carlos, discussing about pushing back the chair after eating on the table. Lois said she knows that already. I looked into her chair though, it didn't agree with what she said. :)
10. Be able to recognize authority - Some people use policemen, soldiers and other people in uniform to make a child do something. Thanks to Dr. Kevin Leman, I don't fall into the same trap yet Lois and Carlos listen to their teachers.
11. Manage bathroom needs - Lois takes a bath by herself, but I turn on the shower. She claims she cannot switch it open. How do I teach her how to wash her self after passing stool?
12. Button shirts, pants, coats, and zip up zippers - Yes, all these she knows, but isn't it sweeter if she lets mommy do it for her? No!
13. Begin to control oneself - Ahh, even a full grown human being cannot master this. :D
14. Separate from parents without being upset - Lois is able to line up with her classmates by herself. I will just walk her to school up to the gate and she lines up by herself.
15. Speak understandably - One of Lois' tasks is to answer the telephone when it rings and tell the caller, "Sandali lang po (please wait a bit)."
16. Talk in complete sentences of five to six words - Haven't counted.
17. Look at pictures and then tell stories - I once handed them a blank booklet and their task is to draw a story in order to come up with a book of their own. I recall Lois drew her favorite Wii games and her Wii character.
18. Identify rhyming words - Yes, I think she knows this.
19. Identify the beginning sound of some words - Last night, her Ninang Annalyn was telling her that she bought a pair of skinny jeans for her. She asked me what skinny jeans are and I told her those are the kind of pants Barbie dolls wear. However, instead of saying Barbie, I said barboy.
20. Identify some alphabet letters - Yes, she can read, though not perfectly.
21. Recognize some common sight words like "stop"
22. Sort similar objects by color, size, and shape
23. Recognize groups of one, two, three, four, and five objects - I haven't observed this with her. How do I do this?
24. Count to ten - Before I clean her up in the rest room, I ask her to count one to ten in Mandarin.
25. Bounce a ball - Yes!

Lois will 5 and 4 months when she attends kindergarten. I'm sure she will have classmates as young as 4 years old. Here's to a wonderful learning experience to you all.

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