Countdown to Kindergarten! 4 New Year's Resolutions for Your Pre-K Classroom

The countdown to kindergarten has begun!

Mid-year is here and for Pre-K teachers that means time with your little learners is winding down. The next few months are all about making sure your children are ready for the next step and equipped with the skills they need for kindergarten and beyond.

Now is the perfect time to start narrowing in on your goals and envisioning what you want your classroom to look like for the next few months.

We’ve compiled a list of popular Pre-K teacher goals with tools you can use to make the last half of the school year your best yet!

Goal #1: Strengthen Fine Motor Skills

Strong fine motor skills lay the foundation for handwriting success. Effective pre-writing materials lead to both strong letter recognition and solid handedness. Look for developmentally appropriate hands-on tools that teach multiple skills, like Roll–A–Dough Letters^®, all while preparing students to advance to writing utensils.

Goal #2: Help Develop Social-Emotional Awareness 

Social-emotional skills can be developed through a variety of activities including building and sharing. Children can practice many of these skills during circle time with Mat Man! Assembling Mat Man provides opportunities for students to practice skills like sharing, cooperating, and taking turns.

Goal #3: Eliminate Letter Reversals 

With the right direction, you can stop letter reversals completely! It’s all about directionality. Look for tools that provide guidance to students as they write. The Slate Chalkboard has a smiley face on the top left corner that reinforces top-to-bottom and left-to-right directionality.

Goal #4: Teach Lowercase Letters 

At this point in the school year, you may have noticed that students have mastered uppercase letters and are now ready to move to lowercase letters. If so, you can transition those who are ready to developmentally appropriate student editions that foster a smooth transition to lowercase letters. Materials like the Transition to Kindergarten Activity Set provide a smooth transition from uppercase to lowercase letters.

We’re here all year around to help you meet your teaching and learning goals!

By Monet Stevens Monet A. Stevens is a graduate student at Georgetown University. She has interned with several organizations across the Greater Baltimore and Washington D.C. Metropolitan area including the Smithsonian and the Surety and Fidelity Association of America. Monet is passionate about strengthening communities and empowering individuals through mass communication. She recently graduated from Towson University and moved back to her hometown near Washington, D.C. where she hopes to make a positive impact.