As a parent of young children, I’m well aware that there are certain things kids need to know before they start school.  As a teacher, I’m also well aware that children develop at different paces and that not all children will possess the same abilities upon entering kindergarten.  But after surviving my first week as a kindergarten teacher, I’ve learned that there are definite skills and behaviors that all rising kindergarten students should possess in order to help both themselves and their teachers.
 
Here are my…
 
 
Top 10 Things Parents Should Teach Their Children Before the 1st Day of Kindergarten
 
10)  Jamming a finger up your nose is not socially acceptable behavior.  And eating the evidence makes the act more, not less, unacceptable. 
 
 
9)  Bring home your lunch leftovers so Mom knows you’re coming home hungry because you really don’t care for ham and cheese sandwiches, not because your teacher didn’t give you enough time to eat. 
 
 
8)  There are times when you can talk. And there are times when you can’t.
 
 
7)  Flush the toilet!
 
 
6)  Silly Bands are a teacher’s nightmare.  Leave them at home.
 
 
5)  There are good tattles and bad tattles.  Good tattle: Teacher, Johnny sliced my arm with a pair of scissors.  Bad tattle: Teacher, Johnny is sitting 2 inches closer to you than I am.
 
 
4)  The teacher is the boss.  I actually have a student whose constant response to direction is, “No, I don’t feel like it.” 
 
 
3)  Cough and sneeze into your elbow!  Or at the very least, not directly in someone else’s face.
 
 
2)  Put on your listening ears.  Teachers will lose their voices if they have to repeat themselves 20 times.
 
 
1)  This one is actually a lesson for the parents themselves: Don’t say or do anything in front of your child at home that you wouldn’t want repeated to your child’s teacher and a room full of little ears.
 
 
What else do you think children need to know before they head off to school?

  

by | 17 Comments

17 Comments on Top 10 Things Parents Should Teach Their Children Before the 1st Day of Kindergarten

  3. These are funny and really sad in a way. I'll be sure to commit them to memory for when we have kids. Really? No, I don't feel like it? That would have earned me a shack in the head if I uttered those words to either of my parents.

    Reply

  4. Can you add in the fact that when your child has zero manners it is a direct reflection of the parents. Saying "please" and "thank you" for things will not make your child love you any less.

    My biggest pet peeve is when parents don't take the time to teach their child how to zip/button their coats and clothing. News flash parents if they can't do it at home they can't do it in school. Putting little johnny into pants he can't get off or on will and can and often will result in him having an accident. On top of that having 25+ kids who need their coat zipped before lunch means that I have to take time out of teaching to add time to preparing your child for recess. Yeah it may be just 5-10 minutes but add that to the time taken away from teaching overall and I'd guess that we lose at least an hour dealing this things other then teaching your children content. Small things like zippering a coat help in the long run.

    I'll step off my soap box now. lol

    Reply

  10. Love this 🙂 My little nephew just started kindergarten last week, and the things he's said about his class and his teacher are so adorable and entertaining. What a sweet job you must have! These little people look up to you like nobody's business.

    Reply

  13. I love this! Last year was my first, and last year to teach kindergarten if I have any say in it. We could add that pity tears don't work on the teacher. If you are getting a spanking because you got in trouble, you deserve it!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *