Preparing for Kindergarten Sessions

In response to feedback collected through the Division’s “Welcome to Kindergarten Questionnaire," the EIPS Early Learning team has planned a series of general information sessions for families with children entering kindergarten in fall 2021. The sessions are designed to provide parents and caregivers with basic tools to help prepare children for kindergarten, to give families a bit of an overview of what children will be learning in kindergarten and to answer questions you may have.

Register for any or all of the upcoming sessions that fit your schedule. The links to register were sent directly to all 2021-22 kindergarten families, or contact your child's school for more information. Sessions will take place virtually, and the links to join will be sent directly to all registered families the day before each one.

If you have any questions about the upcoming sessions, contact Cindy Talaga, EIPS early learning consultant, at cindy.talaga@eips.ca, or reach out directly to your child's school.

Fine-Motor Development
Date: Tuesday, June 15, 1-2 p.m.

Many fine-motor tasks develop in a predictable sequence. We’ll go over the stages of fine-motor development in young children and give ideas for activities and play at home to help children feel more confident moving into kindergarten. We’ll discuss when children are ready to learn to print and activities that will work on pre-printing if they aren’t quite ready yet.

Speech-Sound Development
Date: Wednesday, June 16, 1-2 p.m.

By the time children reach the age of seven, they’re usually making all of the speech sounds of their first language. As children's speech develops, the number and type of errors they make changes. Many parents have questions about whether their child's speech-sound errors are typical or whether they should be concerned. This interactive session, hosted by two EIPS speech-language pathologists, will provide information about the progression of speech-sound development and strategies parents can use to support this development.

Self Help: Building Independence
Date: Tuesday, June 22, 1-2 p.m.

Join an occupational therapist to learn strategies to help your child build independence. The session aims to increase your child’s successful participation with self-help skills and daily routines. We’ll touch on ideas for self-help skills such as dressing, managing their snack and organizing belongings.

Literacy in Kindergarten
Date: Wednesday, June 23, 1-2 p.m.

Literacy is an exciting part of a child’s early years in school. Join us to explore what literacy looks like in kindergarten. We’ll also discuss fun and easy ways to incorporate important early literacy skills in your everyday activities over the summer. Part of the session will include a review of materials available on the EIPS website for parents to access to learn more about the different aspects of early literacy.