5 things to do with kids before school: tips from the ASD-S

Playing outside. Unstructured time with parents. Fun without screen-time. All parts of being a kid that were, once upon a time, taken for granted.

But times change and a new program from the Anglophone South School District, All About the First 5 Years, is reminding parents about the importance of engaging with their kids before they set foot in a classroom.

"Parents and guardians are a child's first teachers," said superintendent Zoe Watson.

"The time before they come into public school is really the foundation for a future of learning. It's important for parents, grandparents, guardians, grandparents all taking the time to engage with children and spend time with children," she said.

The All About the First 5 Years program outlines four pillars that appear simple on the surface, but the importance of which can't be overstated in paving the way for success in the classroom.

Looking

"One of the things that we see with young children is that they need to establish eye contact," said Gary Hall, the early childhood director for the Anglophone South School District (ASD-S). "It's that engagement that they need."

The ASD-S is concerned, Hall said, to see phones and other devices taking the place of adult/child interaction.

Human interaction with adults who love and care for them — not toys, phones, and gadgets — are what develop kid's social and learning skills. Invest time in watching the kids: no screens involved.

Talking

"We know that when children have a good vocabulary by the age of five that it's a predictor of success when they're 30," said Watson.

"It makes a huge differences in their learning, and their social and emotional ability to cope with the challenges of life."

Although talking with your child about what you're doing, or what's happening around them, might seem obvious, anytime you're talking with a child, "you're building their literacy skills for life," said Hall.  

Singing

No two children are the same — and one way to interest a child that's feeling "meh" about reading is to put them to music, said Hall.

Even if your musical skills are mediocre, "singing is a different way for children to experience words and sounds," he said. Even more fun and memorable for the child? Dancing while you're doing it.

Playing

Involving your child in activities is a good thing, but in many cases, "children's time is too scheduled with playdates and activities," said Hall.

"They need that unstructured time to learn how to cope with things that they don't expect to happen."

Giving a chronically busy child a day off from scheduled activities and allowing them to roam outside could be exactly what they need to succeed in the classroom later on. As Hall points out, play is the best way for children to learn.

Reading

"Read, read, read. That's the way to do it," said Hall. "The more words children have, the better and stronger their literacy skills will be."

In addition to reading aloud to the kids, it's important to make sure they see you reading, as well. Enjoying your own books and magazines, and making sure there's a variety of reading material in the home, helps set your child's foundation for success in the classroom.

The ASD-S has worked with a team of early childhood service providers to develop brochures, posters and an inspirational video to encourage parents to put down their phone, pick up a book, or just spend one-on-one time interacting with their kids.

Programs like Talk With Me, a language service provided through ASD-S, and FACE (Family and Child Education), which provides early intervention services for children and families, are also available to support families, according to Watson.

More information about All About the First 5 Years and other programming offered by the ADS-S is available on the district's revamped website.