Partnership Between Parents and Kindergarten Teachers

Pre-school is an educative learning partner of the family. Some reasons that kindergarten is an extremely important educative factor are:

- Kindergarten creates an environment for children and it helps them develop their social skills
- Kindergarten prepares children for primary school
- is a protective environment and passes the time with children of their own age



There are differences from one kindergarten to the next regarding the closed and open space children dispose of, the instruction or advice, the qualifications of the teachers and their desire to do the best they can to promote good social skills and behavior. Any state or authorized kindergarten is obliged to offer a good learning process. From the management offered at the kindergarten or school, the parents have to find out what the conditions of life are and what type of environment of the unit has to offer, as well as the qualifications and the potential of the personnel.

The kindergarten teacher will conduct the children’s activities directly or indirectly. Some of the education process is conducted with the whole group of children and some of it is done in stages, as small groups of children or individually.

Parents and teachers need to form some sort of a partnership. There are problems that can come up in such situations and they may vary a lot. Some children that come to kindergarten have trouble adapting, socially and intellectually. There are many reasons for these things and can be discovered with parents and teachers working together to figure out and resolve the issue. Communication is the key to making a Childs kindergarten experience both fun and educational both the parents of children with difficulties and the ones of children with a normal evolution must be contacted to settle educational programs that involve the family.



Parents can continue educational games their children played in the kindergarten while they are at home, this will help the children gain confidence in their power. In the future this can help their children develop the initiative and confidence to give answers or volunteering to be involved in games.

The purpose of kindergarten is to help develop good social skills, to help prepare them for school and to let them have fun while they learn. They have to be introduced to learning and classrooms at this age, or it will be hard for them to adapt and maintain control once they start primary school.

The Basic Skills of Kindergarten

Children love to learn. In the first years of life, there really is no distinction between learning and play to a child and they get as much fun and joy from learning new things as they do from any game they play. So the years before kindergarten are a perfect time to use play time with you to begin their path toward conquering some basic principles that will be very helpful to them when they reach kindergarten.



Many children’s games and books focus on helping your little one learn colors, shapes and other basics that will be good to have a firm grasp of before they reach kindergarten. You can make a game of knowing the color names and you will be surprised how quick witted your child is and able to pick up not just the basic 5-10 colors but many nuances of color as well. The same is true of shapes. While a child may have trouble saying “octagon”, don’t underestimate their ability to learn the names of the various shapes of their toys and blocks.

You can use play and reading time to also help your preschool child get a good grasp of the alphabet, how the letters look and numbers and counting. These will all be excellent basic skills of kindergarten that will make the step into formal school easy and smooth for your child. In fact, it isn’t out line to expect that your preschooler could learn to sign her name and do some basic letter shaping exercises before she starts kindergarten. How great would it be for her not only to have these core skills and areas of knowledge well in hand before school starts but to be able to start with that much confidence that she is smart and ready for school? That kind of confidence translates into big time success for any student starting on a big new adventure.

Along with using play time in such a productive way, there are many studies that have shown without a doubt that reading to your child every day is one of the finest ways to get them ready for school. If you read stories to your little one and allow them to look over your shoulder, you will be surprised how many words they will learn to recognize just from that casual time of loving relaxation with mommy or daddy.



But reading is also one of the best ways to improve your child’s vocabulary and ability to speak clearly and expressively. Don’t be surprised if you find your child with books open early and often because you took the time to read to her even before she starts at kindergarten. And that love of learning is something that will stay with that child for the rest of her life. What a wonderful gift.

If your child loves to run and play as is very common in young children, you can use that to help them develop strong motor skills which will help in dozens of ways in school. Hand eye coordination not only will help your child do well in gym and playing sports, it will help in learning to write and many other related physical dexterity challenges that she will face in school.

By looking at many of life’s simple pleasures that you enjoy in raising a preschooler as also opportunities to develop your child intellectually, physically and even socially in preparation for kindergarten, you are giving your baby wonderful skills, knowledge and abilities that will pay off big when kindergarten starts officially when she is five. And you will be thrilled to see her naturally step into the formal school world so well and begin to succeed because you took the time to get her ready well ahead of time.

Making the First Day at Kindergarten a Big Event

Going off to kindergarten is a big deal to your child. For parents who already have kids, big transitions in the lives of the kids is often taken for granted. But to put in perspective in your life, an equivalent type of event in the life of you as an adult might be a relocation to another country for a new job. For your five year old, going to kindergarten is launching into a new world, a world she has never known before. It is going to a place to do things she doesn’t know how to do, to be under the authority of strangers which is totally new and to spend most of her day with people who are not her family.



When a child graduates from a phase in their lives like from high school, college or even from elementary school, it is not uncommon to celebrate with a big party and gifts. The purpose of the celebration is to commemorate the successful conclusion of a formal phase of life and start of the next phase. We want the child to come out of their completed experienced encouraged and excited so they charge into the next challenge with gusto.

It might be time to consider the start of kindergarten in that same category. In a way, starting school is the end of infancy. Your child is going off to do something all by herself. She will take on challenges and conquer them. She will have days when it seems it is impossible and then she will conquer those fears and achieve the impossible. So you want to send your little one off to kindergarten with that that its time to leave infancy behind and go into this big new world of school with gusto, enthusiasm and ambition.

Making the start of kindergarten a big event puts the feeling of joy and excitement around that first day in that new school. It is a “rite of passage” that puts momentum around your child’s growth from being a baby at home to becoming a student. In our eyes kindergarten is hardly a big challenge. But in your little one’s eyes, it is just as big a step as any other transition you have experienced. And that celebration gives her the momentum to overcome those initial fears and go into the kindergarten classroom with excitement and positive anticipation.



A party is always a good way to start out this new phase in life. Perhaps going to your child’s favorite restaurant would be a nice touch because she can invite some of her friends to be there with her whole family to cheer and celebrate this big day with her. While many children’s restaurants are used to singing to a child having a birthday, with some notification and letting the restaurant know what you want, you can have the staff come out and sing a happy song with a cake and ice cream to make this event memorable and fun for your soon to be star student of the family.

You want this celebration to be special and not like every other birthday. Presents might include extra fun school clothes, a new notebook, a fun backpack or a jumbo crayola set in a special carrier that she can use to take it back and forth to school. But by making this celebration full of laughter, song and joy, you are sending a message to your little one that everybody appreciates what a big deal starting kindergarten is and the whole family and all of her friends are behind her 100% of the way. And your support in launching that child into school so well will pay off when she comes home successful, happy and excited about what she is doing in kindergarten every day.

Making a Game of Getting Ready for Kindergarten

If you have a child under five, you have already watched many amateur productions of plays that were composed entirely in that sweet little mind. Role play and acting scenes out just seems to come naturally to children. Perhaps it’s because they see it on television and videos. But it’s more likely because children just naturally have strong imaginations and creating alternate worlds and then making them come to life is just a natural part of being a child.

We see this kind of play happen nature when we witness bear cubs or even kittens in our own homes as they seem to be all about play every day. But there is a reason for their play.

Often the games they “play act” are their way of trying out hunting, stalking, fighting and even running away. In the same way our own children use their creative imaginations to “play act” scenes in life that they will one day encounter for real In that way, nature seems to have put it into babies of every species to use play to get ready for life.

As parents, one of our great joys is to join our children in play. We get to sort of “become children” ourselves all over again for a while which is great fun. And if we think its fun for us, just watch as grandma or grandpa get down on the floor and suddenly become five year olds for a while. The only shame is one day our young ones will grow up and then we can’t play with their toys any more.

This impulse to act out scenes of life that they will eventually grow into is a wonderful resource you can use to begin to prepare your child for kindergarten. Very often, even though they may not know they are doing it, children use this skill to cope with fears about life and changes that may be on the way. So you can use kindergarten skits and games to help your child feel less frightened of that big change and even come to see the coming of kindergarten days as a time of fun and excitement so when it gets here, she welcomes it with glee rather than with dread.

You can set up a mini kindergarten room in your living room using play chairs from your child’s toy table and using stuffed animals to be the other students. The lessons can be silly things at first like the plot of the Wizard of Oz or the names of all of her My Little Pony dolls so your child gets to jump up and yell, “I know teacher, pick, me!” and begin to experience the thrill of being recognized publicly for being smart, even if the public are stuffed bears and Shrek characters.

Once your little one sees how fun it is playing school, you can begin to do more to make the game more realistic by implementing a schedule with a time to lay down her head, a time to draw, and a daily schedule including “single file to the lunch room” and back. These will be fun games that will get a giggle from your child but also introduce these concepts in a fun way so when they happen for real when she starts kindergarten, they wont be frightening but have an association of playtime with mom.

By taking the time to play out what will be happening in kindergarten, you can prepare your child for all of the aspects of school she can expect. Its an outstanding exercise and you can take her through it without ever letting her know that this is a big part of the “work” of getting ready for school, even though to her its just a game.

When Your Child Ready For Kindergarten?

It is that time of year again. If you child is already 5 or will be turning 5 on or before Oct. 1 (date depends on your state) then it is time to start thinking about registering your child for kindergarten. However this is also the time that many parents begin worrying about whether or not their child is ready for kindergarten.

First, it is important to note that entry to kindergarten is based primarily on age. In most U.S. states that simply means that if your child is or will be 5 years old on or before Oct. 1 (date may vary in some states) then your child must start kindergarten that school year.



The good news is that most primary programs are designed to take children with a variety of social, emotional, and academic needs and work with them based on their strengths.

However we also know that children who start kindergarten with a good grounding in six skill areas have a head start and a higher success rate than children lacking these basic skills.

The skills that ease transition into kindergarten and help lead to a successful kindergarten year fall into these basic areas: cognitive skills, listening and sequencing, language skills, fine motor skills, social emotional skills, and gross motor skills.

Cognitive skills that will help your child be better prepared for kindergarten include the usual suspects such as knowing the alphabet, primary colors, shapes and being able to count to ten.

You should also work with your child to make sure she knows her phone number, address, birthday, and age.

Some emergent literacy skills also include being able to identify his own name in writing, writing his own name, answering questions about a story, understanding that words are read from left to right, knowledge of some nursery rhymes, recognizing written numbers, and vocabulary.



Listening and sequencing are also important skills and this includes the ability to follow simple directions, paying attention, retelling a simple story in sequence, repeating a sequence of sounds, and repeating a sequence of numbers.

In addition to the emergent literacy skills connected with cognitive skills, there are also language skills connected to relationships such as big and little, short and tall, more and less, up and down, top and bottom, in and out, over and under, front and back, and slow and fast.

While we often associate school simply with cognitive skills, it is important that children also have fine and gross motor skills as well as social emotional skills.

Fine motor skills include being able to tie shoes, hold crayons with fingers, copy a straight line, copy a vertical line, copy a circle, hold and use scissors correctly, cut on a line, button buttons, work a simple puzzle (six pieces), and zip clothing.

Gross motor skills include hopping, jumping, walking a straight line, skipping, galloping, throwing a ball or bean bag, catching, clapping hands, and kicking a rolling ball.

Social emotional skills include sharing with others, getting along with others, maintaining self control, verbal self expression, and the ability to take care of toilet needs independently.

If your child has all these skills mastered then they are well on the road to success in kindergarten. Don't worry if your child has not yet achieved success with all these skills. You can continue to work on the skills right up until the start of school and certainly after school has started you can team with your child's teacher.

Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?

When we think of going into the “preparation mode” as that first day of kindergarten approaches, the two areas we most focus on are the academic and the emotional. If your little one has conquered shapes, colors, counting and basic vocabulary, these are some of the academic skills that she should have as she heads off for that first day of formal school. You may have given her some home school or even preschool exposure to get those skills in place and all of that was good preparation for this big day.



From an emotional and social point of view, the big change from staying home with mom every day to being in an institutionalized setting is one that your child will cope with better with some preparation. So letting her meet the teacher, the other students, sit in on one day with you there and then have time to role play or talk through what it will be like all will be very helpful at reducing that feeling of disorientation that your kiddo may experience the first day at school.

But there are other areas of competency that you would do well to gauge in your child as she prepares for a day without you there to do everything for her. And if you start developing those check lists in the last full year before kindergarten, you have time to help your baby develop those skills well in advance. For example, when your child goes to lunch at school, she will probably go through a line to get her food, find a table on her own to sit with relative strangers to eat and have to get through meal time without guidance or encouragement. You can give her some of those experiences by eating at buffets where you let her handle her own tray and even pick the table and “be a big girl” by making all of the decisions.

The more independent your child becomes in that last few months before kindergarten, the more that feeling of self reliance will pay off when school starts. Being able to dress and undress herself is a basic skill that we work on with our children. And while this will not be necessary at school, there may be times when your child needs to go to the bathroom to adjust his or her wardrobe. And not having to have a teacher there with him will make this a much smoother operation.

The basics of being able to perform simple student tasks such as how to hold a writing implement, how to draw the basic shapes, how to color a picture and how to answer questions from the teacher without mumbling are things that can be worked on well before the first day at kindergarten that will make that transition much smoother for your child and for the teacher as well.



There are also mental or intellectual talents that your child can pick up just from being part of your family but they will be of great advantage in school. This includes being able to listen and understand a story and then ask intelligent questions about it, being able to understand humor and even make simple and appropriate jokes when the time is right in class and knowing the fundamentals of alphabet, numbers and vocabulary that will equip the child to start the curriculum at kindergarten without need for remedial help.

Observe and help your child develop the simple social skills of being able to enter a room and meet new people, understanding authority and rules and learning to live with them and making friends and identifying and avoiding problem personalities in class. These are skills that will go a long way toward facilitating a happy social life at school and learning to stay out of trouble which is a lifetime skill your kiddo will need throughout a long school career.

By thinking through not only the academic but the physical, hygiene, social, language and logical skills that are sometimes taken for granted, you cut down on the surprises that wait for your child on that first day at school. And the smoother that first day goes, the better her entire year at kindergarten will go which will lead to a happy and creative attitude toward school and education for life.

Health Needs and Kindergarten

One of the fears parents often have of sending their children off to kindergarten is the exposure to a public place where the protection of the home is no longer possible. It is true that when your child goes to school with other children, the opportunities for illness and contamination are much more frequent. But the value of being in school with others and the social and educational value mean that we as parents must prepare our children to begin to spend time in a public place and that we do all we can to help them stay healthy and safe each and every day.



Part of preparing your child to stay healthy even in a public venue like kindergarten is to enlist the aid of your child’s pediatrician. She can make sure your kiddo is up to date on shots and that any vulnerabilities are well known. A good check up and getting all necessary shots before school starts will insure your child’s immune system is well equipped to deal with the additional exposure to germs.

But you can also teach your child good hygiene habits at home and engrain them in her lifestyle so they will stick with her even when she is at kindergarten and she doesn’t have you there to protect her. This includes good bathroom habits, an obsession with washing her hands as often as possible, being aware of others who are sniffing and who may not be taking good care of themselves to avoid contamination and using good table habits so the foods your child eats are clean and safe for consumption at lunch.

Good lifestyle habits at home will benefit the child at school as well. This includes a well developed schedule of getting at least eight hours of sleep each day and a regular diet of all the major food groups, particularly fruits and vegetables as these foods will give your child’s body the defenses it will need to ward off illness if there is an exposure to germs. Good dietary habits will be something that is taught as well as enforced at home. You can send your child a lunch to assure that at least she is taking the right kinds of foods. But the best defense is to make sure your child is aware of her own nutritional needs as it pertains to resisting illness so she also eats well when getting food from the cafeteria and stays healthy and regular every day.



You don’t want to send your child to school paranoid or afraid of other people. But some simple rules of how to interact with others in a way that is social but not risky should be part of your training as you raise the child. Just as you know not to eat after someone else using the same utensil, not to eat anything that has been on the floor or not to eat anything that you don’t know the origin of, these are basic health rules that children may not know if they are not taught. So be a conscientious parent and equip your child to avoid hazardous hygienic situations. Even if they are innocent dangers, they are dangers none the less.

The health preparations for kindergarten includes things parents can control at home such as check ups, getting good sleep and nutrition and gong to school healthy and clean. But they also include things you teach your child so she can keep herself safe and healthy even in the middle of a large group of other kids. By giving her these skills from the first day of school going forward, you are doing your job as good parents to assure she is ready for school each and every day from kindergarten all the way through to college graduation.

Getting MOM Ready for Kindergarten

When that first day of kindergarten is approaching, every effort is put against getting the youngster heading out on his or her first big adventure out of the home. There is a lot to do. Between meeting with the teacher, buying clothes and school supplies and preparing the little one for the big challenge of being away from mom and dad for a few hours to a day at school, it’s a big step for the kiddo and for the family.

But what is often overlooked in this rush to prepare for kindergarten is there is a very important participant in the process who also needs to do some preparing. That person is mom.



When you think of it that five years from the birth of that angel from heaven until he or she walks out that door for kindergarten is a pretty intense period of closeness and bonding. For virtually every waking minute of those years, mom is aware of that child, helping her, taking care of her and keeping her safe and healthy every step of the way.

Now the time has come to let that little one be away from home every day for several hours a day and start the road toward independence. Mom wants the right thing for her child and beginning the move to be her own person is the right thing. But there are a lot of emotions and mixed feelings that a mother goes through even in getting the little guy or gal ready for kindergarten much less on the day you let that child go off to start that uphill road toward higher education and success.

One of the people who can do a lot to help mom get ready for this big day is dad. If he is a sensitive dad, he will be aware that there is going to be a lot of anxiety and worry along with good old selfish desire not to let that kiddo leave the house. But dad can be the voice of reason for mom and for that kindergartner as both cope with the new way of life. By gently counseling mom that the road to independence is what will make that child a successful young person and eventually a healthy and well adjusted adult, that logic can filter its way down to the emotional system and start to convince the heart that the head in this case is right.

Other moms who have gone through this before are also a tremendous resource of comfort and advice for how to get through that separation, especially those first few days and weeks when the house seems empty and far too quiet. The friends can counsel that mom on how to fill that time, on things she can do to ease the anxiety like volunteering at the school and on the wonderful victories that the family will celebrate together when the little one comes home from kindergarten full of excitement about what she learned that day.



There are a lot of ways moms can get involved with the school to help out. That energy being felt in emotions that you are going through because of the change can be energies for good to benefit the school and to support your kids while they are in class learning to become good students. There are programs like Moms in Touch and volunteer organizations to benefit the library, to raise funds for new furniture and equipment for the school and to help teachers buys supplies.

If you channel those good energies of love and caring that used to be used only to take care of that one child toward good causes like this, the school will benefit and so will your child’s teacher and her class. So in a way you are continuing to nurture and care for that baby by nurturing the environment that is making her a better person. And that is a good way for mom to get ready for kindergarten before the little one goes off to school and each and every day of this important year in your child’s life as well.

Don’t Sweat Out Kindergarten

Preparations for Kindergarten can get pretty involved. They would include making sure your child has the right clothes, looking into the right schools for your little one and helping the teacher have all the school supplies she needs. But preparing your child emotionally to set out on this big adventure is one of the biggest challenges of preparing for kindergarten.

Actually, the task of making sure your little one goes off to have a great first day at school experience doesn’t start with the child. It starts with you. Children take their clues from mom and dad. And very often it is mom who is on the front lines of this first step of guiding her baby through the many twists and turns of public education. And as much as a child might experience some nervousness and anxiety about the big change that is coming, mom may be the one that feels anxious about this next big step in the life of her child.



There are many emotions that come with parenthood. And unfortunately worry and fear are two that seem to be constant companions of moms who feel it is a big job to protect this precious life that has come to live with you. There is a big secret you should know that will help you tremendously in making sure your child is excited about that first day of school. And that secret is your child should not be able to tell that you are afraid for her or that you have any anxiety at all. If your little one feels you are confident both in the school and in her to go to kindergarten and be a big success, that confidence will translate into a strong self confidence that she can live up to your expectations.

Children take almost all of their emotional cues from their parents, particularly at this early age. If there is a momentary time of insecurity such as a car mishap or a problem with the house, if mom and dad stay calm, the children will stay calm. They trust you to telegraph the right emotional response to change and challenge in life to them and they will mimic you faithfully.

What is both comforting and a bit disturbing about this trait in children is that they can sense if you are afraid or nervous even if your words are confident and reassuring. Children learn how to read body language long before they learn spoken language. So in order for you to telegraph confidence and a sense of excitement about the big change that is coming, you have to feel it too. And that can be difficult if you are experiencing anxiety about being without your child and seeing her head out into the unknowns of life without you being there to protect her.



The earlier you get a grasp on this concept and begin to discuss it with your spouse, the more successful you will be at quieting your own fears and anxieties so you don’t pass them along to your children. There are a number of ways you can help yourself calm down and begin to feel that excitement you want your child to know. You can go to the school and watch a class being conducted so you get a feel for the talents of the teacher and the warm and creative environment in class. Then if you meet the teacher after class and discuss your thoughts with her, that will help a lot.

By thinking through this big change and getting excited about the big adventure your child has ahead, you send a message of fun and excitement to her as she heads out to kindergarten. And that attitude can be the key to her success in this next big phase of her life.

Day One of Kindergarten and No Surprises

Getting prepared for any big new event is all about eliminating the element of surprise. That is why soldiers go to boot camp, why athletes practice for months before competition and why actors rehearse nonstop before show day. And it’s what drives parents like you and me to start months, maybe years before your child goes to kindergarten to remove any element of surprise in what will happen that day and so you know your child is prepared in every possible way for that day she walks into kindergarten.



Some of the aspects of that first day are easy to get ready for. You know your child will need new clothes and probably more clothes because he or she will be at school every day. You don’t want your offspring to be embarrassed by having to wear too many older items. So you might buy them the fashionable kindergartner things so that first day is one of fitting in and looking just like the other kids.

School supplies, medical forms, books and backpacks are all standard fare for the first day of school and they always will be. So you will have ample checklists either given to you by the school or from other parents who have gone through this before. And your own child may become quite opinionated about what he or she will need when that first day of school finally gets here. You will want some level of common sense to go into the preparations for kindergarten, particularly when it comes to the spending but at the same time anticipation is part of the fun so you can afford to give in to it a little bit just to make the event one of excitement and joy and not dread.

When the big day comes, you may even have gone through some drills with the family on getting up, getting dressed, showers, breakfast, making the bed, making lunch and when you need to be out the door to be heading toward the school for the first big day. For you as a parent, the more that first morning feels organized and like a well oiled machine, the more you feel like you have removed every element of surprise from the morning.



Of course, it’s always smart to have some flexibility in your ability to respond to crisis. Even with the most well oiled machine and best preparations possible, it’s within the range of possibility something could go wrong. As you move into the final exit for school, keep in mind that there is an emotional element of this moment and your new kindergartner is watching you for how you react to sudden change.

So be prepared to react calmly and maybe with some humor if something goes wrong. Remember, if you are late or, god forbid, your child doesn’t make it at all to that first day, she can still show up on the second day. Kindergarten classes and their teachers and administrators are well acquainted with the jitters and things that happen to parents so don’t panic if something goes wrong. By not freaking out if there is flat tire, a sudden outbreak of nerves related hives or some other “crisis”, you are teaching your child to handle crisis when she is at school and you are not there.

So model flexibility and adaptability. After all, that is what sending your child to kindergarten is all about for your child. And if you show your little one that being prepared is always the right thing to do but being able to handle change is just as important, she will be well trained to take on kindergarten in good form and to go on to much success in first grade, second grade and throughout her academic career.

The Secrets To Getting The Right Protection For Your Nursery, Pre School Or Kindergarten

For many people and businesses Insurance is something they would rather not have to purchase.

Most people don’t want Insurance. Most people don’t like Insurance.

What you probably do want is protection for your family, your loved ones, your business and the things that are most important to you. The mere mention of Insurance may very well make a vast number of people think of words like:

Rip-off, too expensive, waste of money, doesn’t pay claims, annoying, boring and some much worse!



The truth is though for most people and businesses Insurance is required as it provides them with protection and peace of mind.

With literally thousands of insurance companies, brokers and providers you are faced with a massive choice. So faced with decisions at every turn finding the right cover for you, your Nursery, Pre-School or Kindergarten is sometimes difficult.

This article will therefore give you some free advice that insurance providers rarely share with their customers. These few steps should help you in your quest to find the cover that is best for you at the right premium and with the best service.

Secret Number 1

The first secret to making sure you get the right cover at the right premium is perhaps the one that most people will find hardest to believe but it really works.

Are you sitting comfortably??? Here it is:

When you find yourself ringing around for quotes (and for anyone looking for Nursery Insurance I would recommend buying face to face or on the phone rather than online) the chances are you will be asked “What’s your current premium?” or “What’s the best price you’ve had?”



The single biggest mistake people make when asked this question is to not tell the person asking the question. That’s right, when you are asked the best price you’ve had TELL THEM.

Most people assume that by telling an insurance provider your premium you are at a disadvantage. The truth is the opposite is true. Let me explain:

If you tell a good insurance provider your premium they should pretty much know straight away whether the premium is too high, too low or about right. Armed with this information they could give you an immediate indication if they can get a lower premium. If they know they can’t they can tell you and save you time.

Another reason you should tell the person if they ask your premium is because the vast majority of insurance companies won’t give you the best price unless they have something to beat. Let me say that again, if you don’t give your broker or company a price to beat, the chances are you won’t get the best premium. However, if you do tell them, they can use this information when dealing with the insurance company which ultimately can save you money.

One final tip on this matter is, don’t be tempted to make up a price. For example, Mrs Blogs is looking for Nursery Insurance and she has a best price of ฃ2500.00. She thinks it’s too much money so when asked the magic question of “What’s the best price you’ve had so far?” she decides to go in low at ฃ1800.00. By doing this most companies will know the price seems low and many won’t even provide a quote. Whereas had Mrs Blogs been up front and said ฃ2500.00 there’s every chance she could have saved some money.

Therefore Secret Number 1 is be totally honest when looking for insurance as it’s the best way to make sure you get the best premium. Give it a go...it really works.

Secret Number 2

Secret number 2 is common sense but so many Nurseries fail to make sure it happens because they are focusing on the price. The second way to ensure you get the right cover is therefore to use an insurance provider who has an understanding of your requirements.

You can establish this by listening to what questions they ask, how they ask them and how they react to what you are saying. If they enter into a conversation about your Nursery it’s likely to be because the more information they have about your circumstances, the better cover, the better premium and the better service they can provide you.

If the conversation is very scripted and they either don’t understand what you’re looking for or don’t ask the type of questions you would expect there is every chance it’s because they don’t have a real understanding of your business. If this is the case you risk not getting the right cover and ultimately not being correctly insured.

Secret Number 3

Secret number 3 is ask questions. So many people ring around looking for Nursery insurance, Pre-School Insurance or Kindergarten Insurance and spend the entire conversation answering questions. Secret 3 is therefore ask questions to find out if they provide not only the right cover and premiums but also the right level of customer service. Types of question you might want to ask are:

In the event of a claim what will they do to help you and to ensure your claim is settled as quickly and as favourably as possible?

Do they just give you a telephone number and leave you to it or do they offer help when you most need it?

Are they experienced? How long have they been trading? If it’s a Broker, which Insurance companies do they use?

Again, if they are Brokers are they independent? That is, do they have access to numerous policies and insurance companies or are they tied into just one?

By getting answers to these questions you can then a make a decision on whether you would like to deal with them (and whether you trust them to act on your behalf.)

Secret Number 4

The fourth and final secret to making sure you get the best from your insurance provider is another which may not seem right as Insurance is one of the most price sensitive purchases a Nursery, Pre-School or Kindergarten will make.

With this in mind many Nurseries, Pre-Schools and Kindergartens make the decision on where to place their insurance on price alone. I would advise anyone looking for Nursery insurance, Pre-School Insurance, Kindergarten Insurance or indeed any kind of Business Insurance is NOT TO ASSUME THAT CHEAPEST IS BEST.

Whilst getting a low premium is one of the most important things to look for, a really cheap premium without a combination of other factors is probably cheap for a reason. Things you may want as well as a low premium are:

Are they local?

Are they friendly and approachable? (we all prefer doing business with people we like) Who are the insurance company? Have you heard of them?

What is the excess? Make sure the excess is one you agree on and not one given just to give you a low premium

Do they have a good reputation?

Do they listen to you and explain things in a way that you understand?

If you follow these 4 simple secrets there is every chance your experience when dealing with Insurance for your Nursery, Pre-School or Kindergarten will improve. And whilst I cannot guarantee that Insurance will become your number 1 hobby (in fact I’d be a little concerned if it did!) there is every chance the cover you get will be what you want, the premiums you pay will be less than you’ve paid before and the service you receive will be one you would be happy in giving and one you would be happy to recommend.

Kindergarten Homework

Whatever happened to the days when kids were actually kids, and didn’t have to start worrying about things like homework until about third grade? The other day, my sister called me and said that her daughter had homework. I was flabbergasted. She’s in kindergarten! Kindergarten homework? What on earth was going on?



Come to find out, kindergarten homework is not all that uncommon. I belong to some online communities (why, yes, I am a dork), and they have verified that their children have come home from kindergarten with worksheets that had to be done as homework. Now, granted, kindergarten homework isn’t exactly algebra level of concentration, but for a kindergartener it is pretty comparable. Some of the items seemed fun, and like the homework was meant more to get the parents involved in their children’s education, but good lord. Is it really necessary to assign kindergarten homework in order to get parents involved? I mean, apparently it is and that is just sad. However, having a young five year old have to do worksheets seems a little insane.

While most kindergarten homework seemed to be pretty simple and observational work, there were some that seemed to be going overboard. One mother said that her child was doing about an hours worth of homework just about every night. Now that is just insane. The kids are five years old! Shouldn’t five year olds be playing and learning in their play kitchens and dress up trunks rather than homework on how to spell words? In first grade I was learning to spell words. Kindergarten was more of an introduction to school and rules. Now, kindergarteners are expected to enter knowing more than my generation did after they completed kindergarten. Now there is kindergarten homework on top of that?



I’m all for teaching children while they are most receptive and able to learn, and the kindergarten age is prime time for this. However, kids can learn so many things through fun games, songs and role playing. Doing homework is not something that a kindergartener should have to struggle through instead of playing after a day of school. Are kids not kids anymore? They are already growing up too fast, losing their innocence and trying to be much older than they really are. Let’s cut the asinine kindergarten homework from the lesson plans before we make the competitive parents start to do flash cards in the hospital right after birth.

But I Don’t Want to go to Kindergarten!

That phrase is the one we least want to hear either the day of or the night before the big moment when your child is going off to kindergarten. The last thing you want is for your child’s first day at kindergarten to be the result of a power struggle. That kind of unpleasant start to what is going to be a very big change in the life of a child will only put a cloud over the day and perhaps his year at school and that is exactly the opposite of what you want.



Of course, if it comes down to a pushing contest, you are going to win. And sometimes children test your borders with a comment like, “But I don’t want to go to kindergarten”. You know your child best and if that is what is going on, you also know how to maintain your authority so they know that going to school is not option and that not only will they go today, they will keep going every day for the entire school year.

Sometimes just laying down the law is sufficient. Children are tremendously adaptable and once your little one realizes that this is just the way it is going to be, you might be surprised how quickly he figures out the system at kindergarten and becomes a big success there. If that is the outcome, you are to be congratulated because you won the confrontation and established in your child a healthy respect for authority and learning to work within the system.

The key is, one way or another, you want to make them want to go to kindergarten. However, it could be that there are some methods that can be used to provide some inspiration for the child to want to get out there and be part of the fun and go to kindergarten along with the other kids. Peer pressure can be a good force as much as sometimes it is negative if it takes our children into the wrong behaviors. But if you give your child the chance to be with kids his own age and in the neighborhood and those kids are going to go to kindergarten starting that same day, that could be a huge motivation to go to school because the child sees it as extended playtime.

The age kids go to kindergarten is about the time they begin wanting to be with friends and get away from home a little bit. Their curiosity is high and they want to experience new things so you can tap that desire by creating the image that this will be a big adventure and that there will be lots to do there and that kindergarten will not be as boring as staying home day after day after day.

If your child has siblings who are already in school, there is often a desire to go to school to be like older brother or sister. So you can enlist the aid of those siblings to get the youngest in the family who is about to enter school to want to get out there and find out what the world is all about. Often the kindergartner to be also sees that sports and social activities are a big part of school life too.

The important thing is to use whatever motivation is naturally there to help your child get a real enthusiasm for school. You do want to talk to them about obeying the rules and working hard. And there will be lots of chances to do that long the way. But for day one, let this big step into kindergarten be all about excitement and fun. Your kiddo can figure the rest of it out as the school year progresses.

Preparing Your Child For Kindergarten

As your child approaches school age, you may be wondering if he has the necessary skills to pass his kindergarten screening. There are several things that you can do to prepare your child to enter the school environment.

To interest your child in reading, you should read aloud to them often. This activity will help your child to understand that the printed words represent the spoken words. By asking the child questions about the story, you can help to build up his comprehension skills. You can also teach him words that rhyme and show him how many of these word’s spellings are similar. As you are reading to him, you should point out unknown words and explain their meanings to build up his vocabulary.

You can take your child to the library to read. Many of these institutions have programs especially designed for preschoolers. They often have story times, puppet shows, and other activities geared to encourage a love for reading in these youngsters. These excursions are also the perfect opportunity for your child to become familiar with the layout of the building itself so that as he gets older, he will feel comfortable going there to check out books and do research for school on his own.

You should also print your child’s name often so that he can begin learning how it looks in print and how to spell it. You can also use the letters in your child’s name to help him to associate certain letters with certain sounds. You can take the individual letters of your child’s names and help him finds words that have the same letters in them. This is also a good time for your child to start to practice writing his name.

To help your child prepare for kindergarten math, you should make sure that he is familiar with shapes and colors. He should also have the ability to at least count to ten (preferably twenty). You can practice his shapes with him by drawing or finding objects for each shape and have your child identify them. You can help your child with his counting skills by using various items, placing them in a group, and have him count the total number. You can also practice his problem-solving skills by adding and taking shapes away from the group and having him recount the new total. This will establish a foundation for addition and subtraction. You can play board games with him that requires your child to roll a pair of dice and move a certain amount of spaces. This is good counting practice and a chance to spend some quality time with him as well.

Many children need to develop their fine motor skills when preparing to enter school. You can build these skills by having your child practice cutting straight and wavy lines with child scissors. You can also encourage him to draw pictures with little details in them. Stringing beads on a piece of thread is another way to build up your child’s coordination.

If you practice all the skills that he will need to start kindergarten, your child should pass his kindergarten tests with flying colors.