Is your preschooler eager to start "big kid" school? Many parents teach ABCs, shapes and color recognition hoping to give their child a head start in school, but it's difficult to harness short attention spans. Sharon Wilkins' book Ready For Kindergarten banishes drudgery from learning. Her 156 imaginative kindergarten-prep activities will delight your child so much that she won't realize that she's learning.

How do I know? I used my 3-year-old son as a guinea pig. I chose several activities from the book and tried them with Max, who had resisted my boring attempts to trap and teach him that "B" makes a "Buh" sound. I didn't know what to expect since the book technically states activities are for children ages 4 to 6, but Ready For Kindergarten was a big success with Max. He enjoyed writing letters on a shaving-cream slate, eagerly learned how to spell "red" with Wilkins' short rhyming song and actually listened to my instructions for performing a "shoe box" dance. On several mornings he woke up and said, "Let's play kindergarten, Mommy."

Wilkins knows how to appeal to children. This is no surprise considering her background. She has been an early childhood educator for 30 years, working as a teacher, preschool director and staff development specialist. She was a Walt Disney Teacher of the Year Award nominee. Wilkins designed her book to foster excitement for learning and reduce a child's anxiety about going to school. "I believe parents are the mot important teacher their child will ever have so I wanted to write a book and give parents the activities that have given me the greatest returns," says Wilkins. "In my book, I incorporate my most successful, fun activities to equip boys and girls for school success. It lays a foundation for developing healthy friendships, a love for God, and gives them a giant head start in readiness skills for reading, math, science, art and music."

The book is dived into 52 weeks with three activities per week. Each week focuses on a different concept. For example, "Measuring Up" teaches measurement skills. Your child will love measuring out ingredients for peanut butter play dough, which he'll then gobble up quickly.

Wilkins wants parents to walk away on the first day of kindergarten confident that their children will succeed both with school and with peers. "Social skills are just as important as [academics]," she says. Her "One-Minute Hug With Eyes" encourages parents to turn off the TV and look at their preschooler for a full minute while the child talks. This shows kids they should look at someone that is talking and it teaches respect.

Max and I found Wilkins' instructions clear and her tasks fun to perform. Activities are free or they can be executed with items found around the house, like old magazines and glue or pieces of string. Wilkins' "A Minute for Mom" includes quotes that add perspective, like Helen Keller's "Indeed, I owe to [my mother's] loving wisdom all that was bright and good in my long night." Let Ready for Kindergarten spark your child's desire to learn.