My review of Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten

Yes, it's my turn to actually write a review this time. Stacey Kannenberg of Cedar Valley Publishing and I decided to swap products to enjoy and review, so I sent her a Baby Dipper bowl and spoon set and she sent me copies of Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten and Let's Get Ready for First Grade. Since my twin girls, Greta and Cora, are 4 1/2 years old and will be going to Kindergarten in the fall, this is the perfect time for us to check out the Kindergarten book and use the First Grade book as something to aspire to. I have also looked through the First Grade book and found that it is indeed almost all new topics from Kindergarten, so that will give us something to work from over the next year or two.

So, Let's Get Ready for Kingergarten! Since Stacey sent a copy of each book for each of my girls (thanks, Stacey!), we sat down on the floor with a copy of the Kindergarten book in front of each girl and went through it page-by-page as long as their interest lasted (not quite through the entire book). The inside cover of the book lists skills to practice, so it makes for a handy checklist as Cora and Greta learn to do each of the tasks. I like the "mix up the alphabet page," especially that it shows both uppercase and lowercase letters. We've been working on uppercase letters for a long time, but lowercase is something pretty new that they definitely need to learn. Another favorite page of ours is the skip count page, showing the kids how to count by 10s, 5s, and 2s. Greta and Cora have been more interested in skip counting since seeing that page in the book. The two things that I think will be the most difficult to learn will be money and telling time on a clock with hands. We've already started on these, but this book reminds me that it is a skill that Kindergarteners need to know.

I wish we'd had this book a couple of years ago since we have already covered many of the skills here, but not all of them. I think about age 3 would be a wonderful time to get Let's Get Ready for Kindergarten or to give it as a gift. That way the child might already be on his or her way to learning some of the skills, but the book would help guide parents towards other important things that can be learned slowly over time as the child approaches Kindergarten age. I should mention also that I love that the pages of the book have a fabulous laminated finish so that you can write on them with a write-on/wipe-off marker. Kids love actually being allowed to write in a book!!!