“Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten” - a book review

Being an “Accidental Mommy” (see our about page for what that means…it’s probably not what you think) I am pretty sure I fall short of taking advantage of the “teaching opportunities” presented to me when it comes to my 4 year old son. At least in a formal sense where it has to do with learning reading, writing and arithmetic. Luckily he spent the first 3 years or so of his life with Grandma, my Mother-In-Law who taught him a great deal.

As he gets ready to start preschool, I am increasingly more aware of the fact that we do not deliberately do any learning type of activities together. I know he learns stuff every day but not “book type” learning. I believe that some people are natural teachers and others just are not (hello, that’s me…a not) and while many a parent who is not a natural teacher has raised a fine intelligent kid, I’m still bothered by the fact that I have trouble providing that for him.

Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and it’s sister book Let’s Get Ready For First Grade help to fill the gap that other parents like me (the not teacher types) experience in raising their kids.

Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade are published by Cedar Valley Publishing. Both books have won awards and are used in schools across the USA. 10% of the profits from the sale of both books will be donated to literacy programs.

From first glance the books are shiny and colorful. They are printed on a glossy thick card stock that you can use dry erase markers on in a number of activities in the books. I really like how durable and attractive they are.

LET’S GET READY FOR KINDERGARTEN!
The very first page outlines the skills to be introduced and practiced in the book:

EARLY CHILDHOOD SKILLS

• Sharing, taking turns and listening
• Patience and using words to communicate
• Knowing and recognizing their full name
• Knowing the full names of parents and other important people
• Solo pottying
• Dressing themselves
• Using all the different types of clothing fasteners, buttons, etc.
• Knowing the Alphabet
• Knowing left and right
• Recognizing colors shapes and numbers
• Recognize basic units of money: pennies, dimes, etc.
• Using words to describe an objects position
• Printing first name in uppercase letters
• Knowing their address and phone number
• Using basic school tools such as pencils, glue, etc.

The next page goes on to introduce the cast of characters in the book and goes on to mention that all kids learn at different rates.

Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! presents all the subjects and skills listed above in a very colorful and engaging manner. The book is designed and laid out to help you interact with your child and help them learn and practice what they have learned. The illustrations are simple, eye catching and very appealing. Even my 6 1/2 month old daughter loves looking at the book. She squeals and coos at it as I turn the pages. Some of the information my son has mastered already, while others he’s just beginning to grasp but he still loves to go through the pages with me and interact with the book. I noticed that when he reads it by himself, he rushes through and doesn’t seem to enjoy it as much as when we go through it together.

LET’S GET READY FOR FIRST GRADE
The very first page outlines the skills to be introduced and practiced in the book:

PRE-FIRST GRADE SKILLS

• Writing full name and phone number
• Knowing the alphabet upper and lower case out of sequence
• Know colors and shapes
• Know numbers 1 thru 30
• Count to 100
• Identify patterns
• Count to 100 by 5’s and 10’s
• Know money and its value
• Read basic sentences
• Know days of week and months of year
• Understand weather concepts

The next page goes on to introduce the cast of characters in the book and goes on to mention that each child is unique and will learn at their own pace.

Let’s Get Ready For First Grade! like its sister book Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten!, presents all the subjects and skills listed above in a very colorful and engaging manner. The book is designed and laid out to help you interact with your child and help them learn and practice what they have learned. The illustrations are simple, eye catching and very appealing. They turn every lesson or activity into a visual adventure that even an adult will enjoy looking at while going through the book with their kids.

IN SUMMARY
Both Let’s Get Ready For Kindergarten! and Let’s Get Ready For First Grade, published by Cedar Valley Publishing are very helpful tools to help your child learn and practice the skills they will need for school. Especially if you are not a natural teacher, these books provide a framework of subjects and activities for you and your child to follow together. With vivid illustrations, interesting characters, and even the unique paper the book is printed on, these books are sure to help build your child’s confidence as he or she gets ready to enter Kindergarten or First Grade.

For more information on these books, visit Cedar Valley Publishing. You can see some sample pages from both books by visiting their View Our Books page. If you are interested in purchasing the books, you can do so right from the website on their Order a Book page. You can pay by credit card or Paypal.

If you want to learn more about Cedar Valley Publishing, visit their About page where you will learn about Stacey Kannenberg - author, publisher, motivator, consultant, spokesperson and MOM who is the co-author of the Let’s Get Ready Books.

If you are looking for alternative places to buy the books, Amazon.com does not currently have them in stock but will email you when they are available.

You can also check Buy.com, Christianbook.com and Barnes and Noble as they all carry the books.

Tags: Alphabet, book, early childhood, grade school, learning, reading, ready for kindergarten, review, school