Ready 4K! - FunShop April 23, 2016 Eboni N. Walker

Table Talk Child’s name/age Introduce yourself Child’s name/age One thing you’ve noticed about your child as they near the end of pre-k

Ready 4K! Jeopardy What do they know? What can they do? Who are kindergarteners? What do they know? What can they do? What are their challenges? How well do you know 3 & 4-year olds? Who are they developmentally? What do they know? What can they do? What are their challenges? Participants made a list of characteristics or traits used to describe who preschoolers are; review that briefly. Let’s play a game of Jeopardy to find out who really knows 4-yr-olds. Split your group into 3-4 teams (this will be the Family Feud version of Jeopardy). Each team is to assign a captain who will deliver the answers in a form of a question to the trainer (host) by writing the question down on a dry-erase board. Team members can discuss their response before the captain shares it with the host. Every team who gives the correct question will win a point. The team with the most points at the end of the game will win a door prize (e.g. candy/treats).

What is pretend play? Young children enjoy this type of play to practice expressing themselves, problem- solving, negotiating, self-regulation and using language.

What are drawings/pictures? While they recognize that print conveys meaning, and can reproduce letters and words, kindergarteners will use these as a primary way to tell stories and express their ideas.

What is the age of 5-7? It is between these ages that young children are considered to have “achieved the age of reason,” which is characterized by an increase of personal responsibility, self- direction and logical thinking.

What is brain development? Research shows that a child’s neurological system develops dramatically in early childhood. In fact, the first five to seven years of life are a sensitive period for this type of development.

What are emotions? Many kindergarteners struggle to follow directions, delay gratification and control impulsivity. Their ability to regulate these requires a lot of practice.

Success in Reading and Writing Strong to Moderate Predictors (National Early Literacy Panel): Alphabet Knowledge Concepts About Print Phonological Awareness (Sounds) Oral Language (Speaking Vocabulary) Writing Name/Writing RAN (Rapid Automatic Naming)