August is Get Ready for Kindergarten Month!

I’m guessing if I told you that August is “Get Ready for Kindergarten Month” you’d tell me that it’s already on your calendar.  In red.  Circled.

No?

Well if you’re as surprised as me, and if you have a soon-to-be kindergartner in your life, the library is here for you!

  1. Bring your kids to the library to try out some apps in person on one of our Kids iPad Stations.  You’ll definitely be impressed by the quality of the apps that were hand-selected by our children’s librarians.
  2. Check out one of our TALES kits, which include books, music, activity guides and props on a theme.  It’s like a storytime in a backpack, and you can take it home with you!  With themes from dinosaurs to careers, you’re sure to find something you and your kiddo can enjoy in these last remaining weeks before school.
  3. Watch our events calendar throughout the year for programs for parents and caregivers as well as our specialty early literacy programs!
  4. Borrow some of our book recommendations to get you AND your kindergartner ready for the big day!

For the grown-ups:

The between the lions book for parents : everything you need to know to help your child learn to read / Linda K. Rath and Louise Kennedy ; with a foreword by Christopher Cerf

Boys and girls learn differently! : a guide for teachers and parents / Michael Gurian ; with Kathy Stevens, Patricia Henley, and Terry Trueman

Common core standards for parents for dummies / by Jared Myracle

Kindergarten success : everything you need to know to help your child learn / Amy James

Number talks : helping children build mental math and computation strategies, grades K-5 / Sherry Parrish

The parent backpack for kindergarten through grade 5 : how to support your child’s education, end homework meltdowns, and build parent-teacher connections / ML Nichols

Preparing for kindergarten [videorecording] : a parent’s guide / MG Video Productions ; Natacha Moreno, executive producer

Ready for kindergarten! : from recognizing colors to making friends, your essential guide to kindergarten prep / Deborah J. Stewart

Story stretchers for the primary grades : activities to expand children’s books / Shirley Raines and Brian Scott Smith

Successful kindergarten transition : your guide to connecting children, families & schools / by Robert C. Pianta, Marcia Kraft-Sayre

What your kindergartner needs to know : preparing your child for a lifetime of learning/ edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., and John Holdren

 

And for your new student:

The best thing about kindergarten / by Jennifer Lloyd ; illustrated by Qin Leng

Countdown to kindergarten / by Alison McGhee ; pictures by Harry Bliss

Is your buffalo ready for kindergarten? / by Audrey Vernick ; illustrated by Daniel Jennewein

Kindergarten day USA and China ; Kindergarten Day China and USA : a flip-me-over book / Trish Marx and Ellen B. Senisi

The Kissing hand / Audrey Penn ; illustrations by Ruth E. Harper and Nancy M. Leak

Mom, it’s my first day of kindergarten! / Hyewon Yum

Monkey : not ready for kindergarten / Marc Brown

Monstergarten / story by Daniel J. Mahoney ; pictures by Jef Kaminsky

The night before kindergarten / by Natasha Wing ; illustrated by Julie Durrell

Planet Kindergarten / by Sue Ganz-Schmitt ; illustrated by Shane Prigmore

Polka-dot fixes kindergarten / Catherine Urdahl ; illustrated by Mai S. Kemble

5. Don’t forget to pack a camera and an extra box of tissues and you’ll be ready to go!

 Good luck to you.  Please report back on how “prepared” you and your kindergartner were because I’ve just realized I’ve only got a year to go myself!  Where are those tissues…?