Wondering what your child needs to know before starting school? This list includes 71 things your child needs to know before kindergarten!





What a Child Needs to Know Before Kindergarten

Here is a list of kindergarten readiness skills based loosely upon a preschool inventory given to children at the very end of our local Pre-Kindergarten program. It was used as both a guiding document as well as an assessment at the end of the year. The original list includes 71 very specific objectives, but I have tried to narrow it down

Please keep in mind as you look over this list that kids learn best with hands-on experiences, not memorization or drill practice! These early years with our children should be about fostering a love to play, explore, and learn! Also, it is important to note that our children are all different and gifted in unique ways. Obviously, if your child has special needs, exceptionalism, or is delayed in a particular area, this won’t necessarily be relevant to your child. This is simply a guide…not something to stress about!

Finally, all areas of development are of equal importance to young children! Gross motor and social development tasks are just as important as cognitive and pre-reading tasks at this age. Also, it is important to note that there is no prerequisite (besides age) for children to go to public schools here in the United States. Although it would be ideal for each child to come into kindergarten already mastering these skills, this is obviously not the reality for many children. Schools are prepared to meet the needs of individual students, regardless of their current ability.

Have fun learning together through games and various experiences while still encouraging your child’s natural creativity!

What does your child really need to know before kindergarten?!?!

Despite the fact that I am sharing this exhaustive list, the two MOST IMPORTANT skills for your child before he/she begins kindergarten is a desire to learn and a respect for others. Obviously, these “skills” are also the most difficult to quantify or measure. But if you are raising your child to be curious and inquisitive of the world around him while also teaching him to obey authority and treat other children with kindness, the rest of this list is just a bonus!

Kindergarten Readiness: Personal and Social Development

Learning

Shows an eagerness to learn and age-appropriate curiosity

Persists in completing a task and is willing to ask for help if needed

Exemplifies a pleasant and cooperative personality

Self-Control

Follows rules and routines

Manages transitions (going from one activity to the next)

Demonstrates normal activity level

Interactions with Others

Interacts easily with one or more children

Interacts easily with familiar adults

Participates in group activities

Plays well with others

Takes turns and shares

Cleans up after play

Conflict Resolution

Seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts

Uses words to resolve conflicts

Kindergarten Readiness: Language and Literacy

Listening

Listens attentively to directions and conversations

Follows one and two-step directions

Speaking

Speaks clearly and can be easily understood without the need for contextual clues

Can sequence events in an oral conversation

Literature and Reading

Listens with interest to stories read aloud

Shows interest in reading-related activities

Retells information from a story

Writing

Uses pictures to communicate ideas

Scribbles, draws shapes, or attempts to create letter-like symbols to write words or ideas

Alphabet Knowledge

Recites/sings alphabet

Identifies upper-case letters

Identifies lower-case letters

Matches upper-case letters to the lower-case letter counterpart

Kindergarten Readiness: Mathematical Thinking

Patterns and Relationships

Sorts by color, shape, and size

Orders or seriates several objects on the basis of one attribute (i.e. “size”– small, medium, large)

Recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them (i.e. circle, square, circle, square)

Number concept and operations

Rote counts to 20

Demonstrates one-to-one correspondence when counting 10 objects

Matches oral numbers to their written numerals

Identifies numerals 0-10

Geometry and spatial relations

Identifies 4 shapes- circle, square, rectangle, triangle

Demonstrates concepts of positional/directional concepts (up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, beside/between, top/bottom, inside/outside, above/below, high/low, right/left, off/on, first/last, far/near, go/stop).

Measurement

Shows understanding of and uses comparative words (big/little, large/small, short/long, tall/short, slow/fast, few/many, empty/full, less/more).



Kindergarten Readiness: Physical Development

Gross-Motor Skills

Pedals and steers a tricycle

Jumps in place, landing on two feet

Jumps consecutively- 7 jumps

Balances on one foot for 5 seconds

Hops on one foot 2-3 hops

Hops on one foot- 6 ft.

Throws a ball with direction- 5 ft.

Catches a thrown ball with arms and body

Climbs a playground ladder

Skips smoothly for 20 feet

Fine-Motor Skills

Stacks 10 small blocks

Strings large beads

Completes a seven-piece interlocking puzzle

Makes a pancake, snake, and ball from playdough

Grasps pencil correctly (i.e. proper pencil grip)

Copies: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, square, V, triangle

Prints first name

Grasps scissors correctly

Cuts within 1/4″ of a straight line

Cuts out a small square, triangle, and circle

Uses a glue stick appropriately

Uses appropriate amount of glue for tasks

Kindergarten Readiness: The Arts

Creative Arts

Identifies 10 colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, black, white, brown, pink

Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration (paint, crayons, markers, clay, etc)

Enjoys singing

Dances like no one is watching :)

Makes believe with objects

Takes on pretend roles and situations

Remember parents, this list is just a guide.

If you’re looking for some suggestions on practical things you can do to prepare your child for Kindergarten, check out 33 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten.

You can download and print a list with simple, easy activities that will help to ensure your child is ready!

If this feels overwhelming… Getting ready for Kindergarten is a simple resource that will show you step by step how to have your child kindergarten ready, whether you are a first time parent, a carer or home school. Click on the pic below to get your copy now…

This article was first published March 2012. Updated 2019.