What should a pre kindergartener know

Kindergarten Readiness Checklist | Understood

When kids are getting ready for kindergarten, many families wonder about academic skills. But self-care and social and emotional skills are important for kindergarten readiness, too. For example, does your child need help using the bathroom? Learn about the different kinds of skills kids are expected to have when they start kindergarten.

Language skills

• Speak in complete sentences and be understood by others most of the time
• Use words to express needs and wants
• Understand two-step directions
• Make comparisons and describe relationships between objects like big/little, under/over, and first/last

Reading readiness skills

• Enjoy listening to stories
• Know how to find the first page of a book and which way to flip the pages
• Recognize familiar logos and signs, like stop signs
• Recite the alphabet and identify most of the letters
• Recognize and try to write their own name
• Recognize when two words rhyme (like cat and bat)
• Start to connect letter sounds to letters (like the sound of the first letter in their name)
• Draw a picture to help express an idea

Math skills

• Count from 1 to 10 without skipping numbers
• Match a number to a group of five or fewer items (“I see three cats”)
• Recognize and name basic shapes (square, circle, triangle, rectangle)
• Understand more than and less than
• Arrange three objects in the right order (like from smallest to biggest)
• Name or point to the colors in a box of eight crayons

Self-care skills

• Use the bathroom and wash up on their own
• Get dressed on their own (but may still need help with buttons, zippers, and shoelaces)
• Know and can say their first and last name and age

Social and emotional skills

• Separate from a parent or caregiver without getting overly upset
• Interact with other kids
• Pay attention for at least five minutes to a task an adult is leading, like listening to directions for an activity or discussing the day’s weather during circle time

Fine motor skills

• Use a pencil or crayon with some control
• Use scissors
• Copy basic shapes
• Make distinct marks that look like letters and write some actual letters, especially the ones in their name
• Put together a simple puzzle

Gross motor skills

• Run
• Jump with feet together
• Hop on one foot
• Climb stairs
• Bounce a ball and try to catch it

How to help your rising kindergartner

Kids develop skills at different rates. It’s not unusual for kids to have strong skills in one area and weak skills in other areas. Some states use kindergarten readiness tests to get a sense of which early learners might need extra help in some areas.

If you’re concerned your child isn’t ready for kindergarten, talk with your child's preschool teacher and work together to come up with a plan to address any trouble spots. You might also want to talk with your child’s health care provider. Learn about the pros and cons of delaying kindergarten for a year.

If your child is headed for kindergarten, explore these steps for a smooth transition. You might also want to see a set of videos on what kindergarten academic skills look like in action.

Key takeaways

• Kids develop skills at different rates and might be strong in some areas and weak in others.

• Some states use kindergarten readiness tests to see if kids need extra help in certain areas.

• If you’re concerned your child might not be ready for kindergarten, talk to your child’s preschool teacher about how to help.

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About the author

About the author

Amanda Morin is the author of “The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education” and the former director of thought leadership at Understood. As an expert and writer, she helped build Understood from its earliest days. 

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Kristen L. Hodnett, MSEd is a clinical professor in the department of special education at Hunter College in New York City.

10 Things every Child needs to be Ready for Kindergarten

“Is my child ready for kindergarten? How can I help them get ready?” These two questions are asked of every preschool teacher when kindergarten registration nears. Kindergarten teachers are pros at getting children from different ability levels and backgrounds all on the same page. Children who begin kindergarten with a solid foundation and knowledge base will have a much easier time adjusting. While they don’t have to know everything, these 10 Important Things will help them make an easy transition on the next step of their educational journey.

Starting kindergarten is such an exciting and important time! Parents naturally want their children to have a terrific first experience at school. There is so much to learn in kindergarten — How to ride the bus, how to make new friends, how to function in a class of 20-25 students, how to go to lunch and music and art, how to find the right seat, how to walk in line in the hall, and on and on! How can a parent know if their child is ready for kindergarten?

While teachers certainly don’t expect children to come to school knowing everything already, the first couple of weeks will go much smoother if the child has a solid foundation. Students who are entering kindergarten should be able to:

1.

Verbalize Wants and Needs

Children who greet one another with a “Hello,” who ask their teachers for what they need, who negotiate well with peers, and who speak up for themselves will do well socially in kindergarten.

2. Write Their Names

Ideally, the children will write their first names from left to right with a capital first letter and the rest lower case. At the very minimum, though, they need to be able to write some form of their first name that is recognizable to the teacher.

3. Handle a Book

Not read it, but rather be able to locate the cover, hold it in the right direction, turn the pages, and locate the text. The one and only way to teach this skill is to read to your child every single day. Have books in every room and in the car. Make sure that your child sees you reading your own books, too. Read, read, read! Children that are ready to daily begin more ready for kindergarten, as they are used to listening to stories, following along, and have seen it modeled.

4. Get Themselves Dressed

Kindergartners need to be able to put on their own coats and shoes and button their own pants. If your child hasn’t mastered shoe tying at the beginning of the year, don’t panic! Keep practicing, but be sure to send him to school in velcro shoes (or something similar) that he can do himself.

5. Be Independent in the Bathroom

Kindergarten teachers are likely not going to be able to accompany their students to the bathroom. The students must be able to handle their own pants (no overalls or onesies!), wipe themselves, and wash their own hands. Start practicing at age 4!

6. Use Scissors, Glue, and Crayons

There’s a lot of coloring, cutting and pasting going on in kindergarten. The children who already know how to use their school supplies at the beginning of the year get a big gold star. If you need some suggestions for using scissors, I love this set of pictures that shows the “right” way and the “wrong” way.

7. Identify Some Letters and Letter Sounds

Starting with the letters of their name, children who are entering kindergarten should know many of the letters. It’s helpful if they also know that letters make sounds, but not imperative that they know what each one is.

Looking for more ways to practice writing names?

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8.

Count to 10

Kindergartners should be able to rote count (1-2-3-4…) through 10 and also be able to count a set of objects (4 crackers) with good one-to-one correspondence.

9. Rhyme

There is research that shows that children who have good phonological awareness skills (Rhyming is one of them!) tend to become better readers. Play with rhyming words with your child. Sing nursery rhymes and rhyming songs. Read books that have rhymes.

10. Separate from Their Parents

Separation anxiety is very common among children who are just beginning school. Kindergartners who are happy and comfortable in the school setting are off to a great start. Read here for more information about separation anxiety.

Free Printable!

Here is a free printable copy of this list – perfect for handing out at kindergarten registration or preschool graduation!

Want Extra Help Getting Ready for Kindergarten?

Sometimes, we all need a little extra help. Click here for a free week of Play Your Way to K – a fully online kindergarten readiness program, made just for preschoolers!

I’d love to hear from you. What do you think are the essential skills that all kindergartners need to have? If you are a kindergarten teacher, what do you wish that your incoming students would be able to do?

As always, have fun playing and learning with your children today!

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What a child should know and be able to do by the first grade: knowledge for a first grader

According to the law of the Russian Federation "On Education", admission to the first grade of state and municipal educational institutions is prohibited through a competition. Any child aged 6.5–8 has the right to enroll in a school. But some things should be taught to the baby before the start of training - this will make it easier to adapt to a new rhythm.

Knowledge and skills for life

Family knowledge

Kindergarten graduates should easily navigate information about close relatives and their data. Full name, age, date of birth, what mom and dad work for, how old are the brothers and sisters. It is good if the child by the first grade knows by heart the phone number of one of the parents and the home address.

Knowledge of safety rules

It is assumed that the baby is familiar with the basic rules of behavior on the street: in what places and at what color of the traffic light to cross the road, what to do if the traffic light is not visible, is it possible to leave with a stranger without the knowledge of the parents. This is the minimum knowledge of safety that a child should have by the first grade. nine0003

Speech development

It is important for a child to speak clearly and distinctly, to distinguish between male and female, to determine the sound in a word, to select simple synonyms, to be able to describe objects, build a dialogue, choose the superfluous in a row and generalize.

Soft skills

Soft skills (“soft skills”, “soft skills”) are universal skills that help a person to be successful regardless of the chosen profession or place of work. We can say that this is the base of certain skills on which success and efficiency are based. nine0023

Soft skills develop throughout a person's life. It is important to lay their foundation already at the senior preschool age, so that it would be easier for the future first-grader to adapt to new living conditions.

Mindfulness and the ability to concentrate

This is the basic skill by which all others are formed.

At the moment everyone is surrounded by a huge flow of information. Adults absorb it, sometimes without even thinking. And the children repeat. In order to memorize new things and be able to apply this knowledge in practical life, it is first necessary to develop the ability to concentrate and maintain attention. Without this, it is impossible to learn and achieve success. nine0003

Critical thinking

The ability to defend one's point of view and not take everything on faith. It is worth explaining to the child how important it is to check the information, question it and ask questions.

Logical thinking

Must be developed from early childhood. Logical thinking contributes to the ability to see and build patterns, analyze information, draw conclusions, consider the same situation from different angles. A person with a developed logical thinking has almost unlimited possibilities and easily adapts to various situations. nine0003

Communication skills and teamwork

Our whole life from the very first days is connected with communication, without it it is impossible to exist, therefore it is so important to develop and improve the child's communication skills as early as possible. The ability to be friends, empathize, negotiate, resolve conflicts and defend yourself if necessary. In addition, it is important to teach a child to hear, appreciate and respect someone else's point of view, to take the place of another person, to find a common language with different people - all this is about working in a team, a team. nine0003

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Out-of-the-box thinking and the ability to think creatively

The skill allows a person not only to adapt to changing environmental conditions, but also to find answers to questions of any complexity, generate new ideas, see and find positive even, it would seem , in desperate situations.

Emotional intelligence

It is important to teach a future first-grader to understand his emotions, to be able to cope with them, to talk about his feelings, to experience empathy. Without these basic skills, a future happy life without depression, apathy and neurosis is impossible. Such questions are especially acute and relevant at the beginning of schooling, during the period of adaptation, when the psychological burden on the child increases. nine0003

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Intercultural openness

In today's world, with the opportunities of travel and online learning, it is important and necessary not only to know a foreign language, but also to be able to understand the cultures of other peoples. Know the features and respect the religion of other nations, be familiar with the traditions and honor them. This helps to find a common language with representatives of other countries.

Self-organization and time management

The skill can be useful in any area: putting things in order, managing your life, prioritizing things. This will save the child from fatigue, stress, increase self-confidence and teach them to enjoy life.

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Knowledge and skills for school

Knowledge about the surrounding world

It is believed that by the first grade a child knows natural phenomena: snow, hail, lightning. The child should be able to distinguish colors, plants, animals, body parts, clothing and footwear, dishes. To test the knowledge of a preschooler, you can offer offhand to name several types of trees or migratory birds. For clarity, purchase a children's encyclopedia, look at illustrations together and discuss paragraphs. nine0003

Knowledge of time and space

Make sure that the child is guided by the hourly routine of the day, knows how to tell the time using an ordinary clock with hands, can list the days of the week and the names of the seasons without hesitation. Another important skill is to distinguish between “right” and “left”.

Mathematical knowledge

This is an important category, but it often causes problems. It's good if the child:

- Counts up to 100 and knows how to perform elementary addition and subtraction operations within the first ten. At least it is worth knowing the numbers 0 to 10 in forward and reverse order. nine0085 - Indicates the number of items as a number.
Distinguishes between "one" and "many". Operates with the concepts of "greater than", "less than", "equal", "up", "down".
- Able to compare objects by size, shape. It is expected that he is familiar with basic geometric concepts - a parallelepiped is unlikely to be needed, but a circle, rectangle, square is quite.

It is also important to teach the child to find patterns in order to train logic: exercises with pictures like “Find 5 differences” are perfect here. nine0003

Knowledge of reading and the Russian language

A future first-grader is recommended to know the alphabet. Despite the fact that it is not officially required to be able to read, this will definitely be asked at the interview. It is easier for children who have learned to read before school to adapt: ​​as a rule, their academic performance is higher than that of children who read in elementary school in syllables. You should not force your child to pore over books without getting out, but you can try to motivate them to read on their own.

What you need to know to get into first grade at Foxford

Our online school has several learning formats, from which parents choose the one that suits their child the most. These can be recorded or online lessons.

Since Foxford is an online school, it is important to pay attention to how well the child is familiar with the computer and whether he can type on the keyboard and also handle the mouse.

In order to be successful in elementary school, a child must have basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills. There are no entrance tests, but the family is offered a small test to check the readiness of the child for school. nine0003

It is important to equip a learning area for a future first-grader before starting training, think over the daily routine and “pump” self-organization skills. Adults should be prepared for the fact that at first the child may need help.

Parents need to pay special attention to the adaptation moment in order to maintain a positive psychological environment and the child's condition.

Résumé

There are no official requirements for what a child should know by the first grade. nine0003

Parents should pay attention to the general and basic developmental skills and abilities of a preschooler. Focus on issues that have caused problems for the child. For example, go to a museum to learn more about predatory animals, or practice the rules of the road for pedestrians so that the baby knows exactly how to cross the road correctly. As for reading, psychologists recommend setting an example for the child: read more to the parents themselves. If the baby sees that mom and dad take up a book in their free time, he involuntarily copies the behavior. nine0085

Getting ready for school: what a child should know before entering the first grade

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Blog Children in Kyiv > Education > Getting ready for school: what a child should be able to do before entering the first grade

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Photo: Freepik

After the launch of the New Ukrainian School in 2018, all children in Ukraine must start school at the age of 6, regardless of ability. The first grade, in which children are not given homework and grades, is designed for adaptation. But even with such a loyal program, not all children are ready to go to school at the age of 6. nine0003

"Children in the city" figured out what a kid should be able to do and what he should be ready for in order to go to the first grade in September of this year. Parents have a whole summer to prepare for school and work on the missing knowledge.

What a child should know and be able to do

By the age of 6, the baby should already be able to navigate many issues.

Before going to school, children should know:

• full name and surname, names of parents and grandparents, nine0143
• seasons, names of months and days of the week,
• find out what year and day of the week it is,
• names of surrounding objects (furniture, dishes, animals, plants, etc.),
• 10 color names,
• understand in directions (right, left, bottom, top).

Before going to school, children should already be able to count a little, read in syllables and write simple words.

Preparation for school just includes mastering these skills:


• the ability to read a couple of sentences in syllables,
• ability to rewrite small words or phrases,
• ability to count within 20,
• the ability to add and subtract within 10,
• find and explain differences and similarities between objects,
• be able to make up a short story based on pictures,
• understand simple geometric shapes and be able to draw them,
• learn short poems, nine0143
• retell the story,
• keep attention on one activity for at least 10 minutes.




Photo: Freepik

In addition, the child must master the skills of self-care. He must be able to wash his hands, change clothes, put on outerwear, clean up after himself, and, if necessary, wash a plate or glass. In general, if a child strives for independence, this indicates his psychological readiness to move on to the next stage. nine0003

Read more about skills and development in our article: what should a child be able to do at 5 years old?

Physical development

Children are ready for school when their bodies begin to develop and change rapidly. Teeth indicate this readiness. As soon as the milk teeth in babies begin to fall out, this indicates the physical maturity of the baby. Children must have at least 5 milk teeth by school.

Immunity is an important aspect of physical health. If the child is very often sick, you need to use all your strength to improve his health over the summer. nine0003

Our article may be useful for you: How to strengthen the child's immunity over the summer

• the child can reach the lobe of the opposite ear over the head,
• the child knows how to play with the ball (throw and catch),
• fine motor skills are well developed (the child ties shoelaces and fastens buttons),
• there is a sharp jump in growth.