Wondering what your child needs to know for kindergarten? You’re in the right place. In this post I’ll walk you through exactly the school readiness skills that your child needs, I’ll give you a teacher created checklist for kindergarten readiness and I’ll share the inside scoop of exactly what kindergarten teachers are looking for.
Heads up: If you want to skip ahead to downloading the teacher designed kindergarten readiness checklist (and a bunch of other really helpful resources) you can snag that as part of the Preschool at Home Starter Kit right here.
If you’re reading this, chances are your little one is on the brink of entering Kindergarten, and you’re wondering how you can best get them ready for this big transition. Maybe there’s a slew of questions that have been nagging at you for quite some time, but you’ve been struggling to find direct answers that leave you feeling confident.
From a former Kindergarten teacher turned homeschool mom of two, I hear you loud and clear, and I’m here to answer all things Kindergarten readiness!
Before we dive in, let me just ask you not to put too much pressure on yourself or your kiddo to do allll the things perfectly. Let me give you an idea of the necessary skills, incorporate some kindergarten readiness activities into your day, keep this list of skills in your toolkit to pull from as you need to, and your child will be ready for the start of kindergarten.
Alright mama, let’s chat about the specific skills that are part Kindergarten readiness so you can help your sweet babe step foot into the classroom on their first day of school with confidence.
Includes a teacher designed Kindergarten Readiness Checklist + so many more valuable insights!
Kindergarten readiness is your child’s ability to use their skills and developmental abilities to adapt to a Kindergarten classroom.
For five-plus years, your child has been home with you or in care at a childcare center or under the watch of family members. But now it’s finally time for them to spread their tiny wings and head off to elementary school.
It’s how your child takes the skills that you’ve taught them and applies them to real-life school situations.
Kindergarten readiness will give your child the tools and skills they need to succeed in their new environment without feeling completely shell-shocked and overwhelmed. These will help them embark on their new journey with the smoothest transition possible!
Getting ready for Kindergarten can be such an exciting time, but you’ve probably found yourself, as a parent, wondering:
What are the important skills my child needs to know before entering Kindergarten?
How can we best prepare for school readiness from home?
Firstly, I want you to know that all of those questions are totally valid and as the saying goes, “you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Secondly, feeling confused about tackling them before the first day of school is entirely normal.
I know you want to do your absolute best to ensure that your child has all of the tools they need to rock their very first year in primary school.
But. . . how do you confidently prepare them when there’s so much buzz out there about what your child needs to learn and what can wait?
That alone can make your all-in-one job as a mama and Kindergarten prepper super confusing- especially if you don’t have a background in childhood education.
But, in truth, you are the best person in the world to teach your child and you are the number one person to carry out the Kindergarten readiness job, despite your background.
There are so many skills that go into being kindergarten ready — but what are the first things you should start with?
Should I start with writing letters of the alphabet? Learning sounds? Identifying numbers, and if so, to how high?
Which social skills are total must-haves? What about emotional development? Does physical development matter?
How can I teach my child to be ready to navigate the new situations they’ll face in their classroom environment?
The list of “what do I need to know as a parent, so my child is prepared?” feels like it is endless!
The truth is that Kindergarten readiness isn’t just about letters and numbers. There are so many other things behind the academic scene that will ensure your child is set up for success.
“So, Heather, does that mean we should throw reading and math out the window?”
Absolutely not! But it does mean that your focus should lie in other areas of importance as well, including social skills, emotional skills, communication skills, and fine motor skills.
Remember- your child will be entering a whole new world (cue the Aladdin soundtrack), and they need to be prepared for all the things that are about to happen as they embark on this journey.
You might be feeling pressured to touch on every single skill out there with your child, but the relieving truth is that’s not the expectation at all!
And if you’ve been wondering, the answer to “do they need to know how to read when they enter Kindergarten?” is NO.
But we do want them to be on their way to reading, and I’ll tell you about what that means in just a minute.
While your child won’t be expected to boogie into Kindergarten reading books by best-selling authors on their own, here’s a peek at a few of the essential early literacy skills they should know:
For many of these skills, kindergarten teachers are looking for a child to be familiar with the concepts and be able to use them in practice, not absolute perfection. For example, with letter sounds it’s most important for your child to know that letters make sounds and to know some letter’s sounds — it’s totally fine if your child hasn’t mastered every single letter sound before kindergarten!
Here are some key foundational math skills:
Academic skills for school readiness can be implemented through consistency, daily practice, and exposure.
Includes a teacher designed Kindergarten Readiness Checklist + so many more valuable insights!
I know that might feel overwhelming at first, but trust me when I say there actually are realistic ways to work these skills (and all of the others) into your daily routine.
Even chatting on the ride to the grocery store can go a long way!
One of my absolute favorite ways to sneak literacy and communication development into the daily routine at home is to read.
Read at the breakfast table. Read during snack time, during bath time. Just remember to read!
As you move through the story, ask your child questions about the events of the story and tell them to describe the characters to you.
This is a great way for your child to learn how to understand what’s happening in what they’re reading (a.k.a. basic reading comprehension.)
Then, have them tell YOU a made-up story written by them as they look at the pictures. These super-simple activities will help to build school readiness skills and give them exposure to comprehension work. And as a bonus, it’s super fun, so it doesn’t even feel like work to them!
Whenever a child tells me they can’t read, I always remind them that they can — because they can read the pictures.
Quick Hint: Your child can also read environmental print like logos! That’s how they recognize a Target bag or when you pull into Starbucks. Be sure to check out the full outfit guide below
If you’re worried because your child isn’t a book lover by nature, try mixing storytime up by using silly voices to capture the characters or reading books about their current interest. This will help to add a little spice to their activities.
Math skills can also be easily worked into your daily routine, and you don’t need to center around structured learning time.
For example, you can count the steps you take on an outdoor walk, look for and identify shapes of everyday objects, and practice the concepts of less and more while playing with blocks, magnets, or figurines. We love playing the traditional game of I-Spy to help with color identification, as well!
And remember- young children embrace academic skills at different rates based on their development, so the more you practice, the better!
For a full view of the Kindergarten Readiness Checklist and more ways to work the skills into your child’s day in a way that feels fun and enjoyable, and stress-free, grab our free Starter Kit here.
While academics rank highly on the checklist of essential Kindergarten skills, so do social and emotional skills.
After all, kiddos will use all of the social skills that they’ve acquired thus far to adjust to and navigate their new school environment.
Stepping foot into their brandy new classroom on the first day of school is understandably scary (and I’m sending you a virtual hug because I know it’s scary for you, too).
But, by handing your child the recommended Kindergarten readiness social skills, they will have the tools they need to make friends, express their needs, build trusting relationships, and handle the big emotions that social situations may throw their way from time to time.
Here’s are a few social skills to get you started:
While that’s not an all-inclusive list, it is a pretty preview to help you get started.
