What did your kindy kid do this year?

Just wanted to know because it looks like we are staying down here in Tassie another year, so DS misses out on kindy next year down here because he was born 9 days past the cut off date (1st January is the cut off date).

However, in Queensland, he would be going to kindy next year because their cut off date is later in the year.

Sooo... we expect to be moving back up to queensland in 2012 - so technically he'll be going to Prep - but would never have gone to Kindy (cos he misses it ITMS)

So I want to make sure that he will be ready for prep by doing things with him next year that he would be learning if he was going to kindy.

Can anyone help me?

Have you checked out the Education website down there, or up here even, to see what sort of things they need to be doing?
The sort of things Nina is doing in preschool now, and next, to prepare her for prep in 2012 are:
recognising & writing letters
recognising & writing numbers
interacting with other children, not just limited to close friends
ability to speak in front of a group

...
mind gone blank, I'll be back with more :)

This is what the prep teacher here asks us to do:
Children able to look after own belongings, put away bags, find hats, drink bottle etc
Wipe own bottom and self sufficient in toileting
Wipe own nose
Open food packages themselves
Sit in a large group and listen for an extended period of time
Self confidence (so talking in front of a group of others - show and tell)
Recognise own name and begin to write if possible
Basic understanding of numbers and counting
Understanding of shapes, colours and sounds letter make

Hmm ok so he's not too far off most of those already, he can already write his own name (and others if you spell it out for him) and he can recognise and write numbers up to 20.

Can't wipe his own bottom though, I still do that, but sometimes he says he does it at daycare - not sure how true that is cos he is prone to telling stories! I'll have to get him started on wiping his own nose.

He knows his shapes, colours etc - so I'll start working on sounds the letters make

Dunno about the group stuff, he hid under the kitchen table at his birthday party when everyone sang happy birthday - so I think he's like me and hates to be the centre of attention!!!

Thanks guys

The rest is pretty much what ausgirl said LOL.

My eldest has just finished kinder, we were given a fantastic folder full of everything they did throughout the year.
The kinder also had to do a transition report which is passed onto his prep teacher at his school. The questions that the kinder teacher had to comment on were
* child's sense of indentity - she commented on things like O can communicate need for comfort and help, iniates play and joins in, engages in role play, negotiates and shares, shows persistance
* The child's connection with and contribution to their world - comments like listens to others, participates in group play reaches out for company and friendship I know they did show and tell to get the kids confident standing up and speaking
*Child's sense of wellbeing - comments were in regards to sharing happiness and satisfaction, seeks out new challenges, copes with frustration, independant in personal hygiene (he is 5 now so has finally learnt to wipe his own bum)
*Child's confidence and involement in learining: shows curiosity, transfer knowledge from one setting to another, extends his own intersts
*child's Comminication skills: responding verbally and non verbally to all the senses.. constucts and conveys messages , reading/writing own name etc

I know at O's kinder they did a lot of things with cooking, they made soup one day for lunch, things in the garden and then just your general puzzles, building, drawing reading books etc. I think a lot of the focus is also on them building their relationship with others.

That being said Kindergarton in VIC isn't compulsory so I know a few kids that will be going to O's school without being at kinder. You sound like a great Mum and I'm sure he will fit in fine. Does he go to a daycare centre? I think that helps kids develop and improve their social skills also.

Sorry for the essay hope you got something out of it.