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(The Kindergarten Smorgasboard) Ready for Kindergarten – with Greg Smedley-Warren

    We’re all trying to get our preschoolers “ready for kindergarten,” but what does that actually mean? What skills are needed to truly find success in a kindergarten classroom? Join us today as we go behind the scenes and find out from a kindergarten teacher what skills preschoolers need to master to be ready for kindergarten.

    Greg Smedley-Warren has been a teacher for 11 years, 9 of those in kindergarten. After his first year there, the other teachers were impressed with his creativity and passion and convince him to start his blog. Today The Kindergarten Smorgasboard is a go-to place for all things kindergarten!

    Greg enjoys blogging, creating curriculum, and sharing resources with other teachers. His mission is to make classrooms a more fun, effective, and interactive place to teach, whether that’s through his blog, coaching, or his Elevate conference. 

    Today he shares his best tips and tricks that you can use to get your preschoolers ready for kindergarten, so tune in right now!

    Greg’s Story of Becoming a Kindergarten Teacher

    Greg started his career by teaching the fifth grade. He soon switched to second grade and he absolutely loved it. After two years, the principal sent him to kindergarten practically against his will! Greg remembers he was so frustrated with this decision, but after his first day of kindergarten, it became clear that this was where he belonged.

    After his first year there, his teammates started saying he should start a blog. He was doing so many cool and innovative things with the kiddos, everyone thought he should spread the word.

    At first, Greg was reluctant – he didn’t think anyone would read his blog. But the idea wouldn’t go away and soon, his husband Jason gave him the final push to get started. He sat down and wrote his first blog post with the idea to inspire even just one teacher. 

    He never expected that the blog would take off like it did!

    Building a Community and Resources for Teachers

    Greg’s content is geared towards teachers and it’s meant to let them know that someone out there hears and understands their work. He always invites teachers to share their classroom adventures and he’s built an amazingly supportive community.

    And almost 10 years ago, Greg created his kindergarten curriculum for teachers. He started building the curriculum at the same time he started the blog, mainly as a way to cover his classroom expenses. Since then, the curriculum has been widely used and loved by teachers everywhere. 

    As his content took off, Greg also started giving presentations at different associations and districts. This inspired him to start his Elevate conference for kindergarten teachers. 

    In everything he does, Greg draws on his real-life experience as a kindergarten teacher. All his advice and resources come from his own classroom. He’s still a teacher – still developing, learning, and growing with his community. 

    The Best Ways to Prepare Your Kiddos for Kindergarten

    We all want to prepare our preschoolers for kindergarten. As someone who is a kindergarten native, Greg says that some of the best advice seems very simple and obvious. Still, these tactics make an incredible impact. 

    The first thing you need to teach your kid is independence. This includes all the things they can learn to do on their own: taking the shoes off, putting on a jacket or a hat and gloves, taking their pants on and off to go to the bathroom. These are the things that make teachers’ lives easier. The less time they spend taking coats off for 30 kids, the more time they can spend teaching! Independence also instills a sense of accomplishment and success in kids early on. 

    It’s also very important to teach your kids to talk to adults. That doesn’t mean they need to carry on a conversation, but they should know how to reply to basics such as “hello”, “how are you”, “what are you doing there”. The more comfortable they get talking, the more fun they can have in the kindergarten – interaction with teachers is incredibly important.

    Another tip Greg shared is to just talk to your kids about everything. This is a method he employs both with his daughter and with his kindergarten kiddos. He does it in a narration style, for example: “Look, I’m getting a bowl, I’m going to pour some cereal, we will have breakfast.” It might seem funny at first, but kids are processing everything you say and building a vocabulary. 

    Greg has seen incredible success with this tactic with his daughter. He doesn’t shy away from “complicated” words either – even if the kids don’t necessarily understand them, they are building a skill. In this way, you set your kids up for success by giving them all that knowledge they can use in a classroom. 

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