Did you know that learning to read begins before children enter school?  Preparing a child to learn and be Kindergarten ready is simple and does not cost money. Talk, sing, read, write and play with your child.  These are incredibly simple, but can have a profound effect on a child and whether he or she is ready for Kindergarten.  Items in blue emphasize how the Library supports these activities.  For more Kindergarten readiness resources please visit our Pinterest page.
 

Talk

• Make sure your child has lots of opportunities to talk with you, not just listen to you talk.
• Respond to what your child says and extend the conversation. “Yes, we did see a truck like that last week. It’s called a bulldozer.”
• Engage in "math talk" with your preschooler.  Here is a list of resources to get you started.
• Come to the Barberton Public Library and talk to your child about what kind of book they would like to check out.
• Attend a storytime at the Barberton Public Library staff and talk to your child about storytime afterwards.

Sing

• Sing the alphabet song to learn about letters.
• Sing nursery rhymes so children hear the different sounds in words.
• Clap along to the rhythms in songs so children hear the syllables in words.
• Attend a storytime at the Barberton Public Library staff. We sing lots of songs.
• Check out a children’s music CD from the Barberton Public Library.

Read

• Read every day.
• Use books to help teach your child new vocabulary words.
• Make shared reading interactive. Have your child turn the pages of the book. Ask questions as you read and listen to what your child says. Have your child retell the story when the book is finished.
• Get your child a library card and let them pick out books to read.
• Sign up for the Barberton Public Library 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program.
• Check out a Playaway or book on CD to listen to in the car.
• Sign-up to get free books for your preschooler through the United Way of Summit County and the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.

Write

• Writing begins with scribbles and other marks. Encourage this by providing many opportunities to draw and write.
• Talk to your children about what they draw, and write captions or stories together.
• Have children “sign” their name to drawings, this helps them understand that print represents words.

Play

• Give your child plenty of playtime. Allow for unstructured play where children can use their imaginations and create stories about what they are doing.  
• Encourage dramatic play. When children make up stories using puppets or stuffed animals, they develop important narrative skills. This helps children understand that stories and books have a beginning, middle, and end.
• Visit the Library to do a craft or pick up a Take & Make bag to do at home.