What Your Child Needs To Know Before Entering Primary One
Entering Primary One is a milestone for your child’s academic journey. Here are some of the skills and abilities your child needs to adapt to his/her education in primary school.
1. Reading and Comprehension Skills
Your child should know the alphabets, and be able to identify common sight vocabulary words. Know his phonics and be able to decode new sounds. Be able to tell the difference between facts and fiction and be able to recall sequence of events in a story.
How parents can help:
- Read story books with your child. After reading, ask questions about the story to confirm your child’s understanding and ability to remember the sequence of the story.
- Have your child read aloud to you.
- Play rhyming games with your child.
- Practice spelling words
- Help your child understand what is the difference between facts and fiction.
2. Writing Skills
You child should be able to write upper and lower case letters, create simple words. They should be able to write their name and construct simple complete sentences.
How can parents help:
- Practice writing his/her name and words.
- Write notes to each other.
- Encourage to make greeting cards & write messages to friends & family.
3. Fine Motor Skills
These skills are essential for coloring, writing or eating. You child should have the ability to hold and execute a pencil, crayon, marker or scissors in the correct manner.
How can parents help:
- Give your child lots of opportunities to practice his/her motor skills with scissors, chopsticks, fork and spoons etc.
- Do coloring with pencils & crayons.
- Allow your child to cut papers with scissors (under supervision)
- Practice eating with fork and spoon & chopsticks.
4. Mathematical Skills
Your child should know and recognize numbers from 1 to 30, and do simple additions and subtractions from numbers 1 through 10. They should be able to use objects or draw pictures to show addition and subtraction, recognize different patterns and shapes (squares, circles, star and rhombus). Your child can count simple money (coins and dollars) and know the tools to measure time and temperature.
How can parents help:
- Play counting games with your child.
- Give him/her puzzles (with different shapes and colors) to solve.
- Let your child make payments with real money (coins or dollar notes) at hawker or bookstores.
- Ask your child to tell the time.
5. Science Skills
Some science is introduced during the kindergarten years. While it is introduced to the students only in primary three, it is helpful if your child have some basic knowledge of the universe or natural world.
How can Parents help:
- Do easy, hands-on experiments like
- Familiarize the four seasons, different climates and natural planets
- Help your child understand the difference between living and non-living things.
- Be able to recognize the impact we have on Earth in terms of recycling and pollution.
6. Social Skills and Abilities
Interacting with their peers is an important social ski
How can Parents Help:
- Encourage them to participate in group activities
- Empower them with the languages to communicate with their peers.
- Show them how to seek help with assignments when needed.
- Practice how to sit for longer periods of time (gradually)
