Is your child ready for kindergarten? Although each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace, most educators and developmental experts agree upon a certain set of skills as essential tools for further development and achievement in school. Here’s a checklist of the developmental skills children need exposure to and knowledge of before they enter kindergarten.

Social skills

• Uses words to solve problems or conflicts
• Uses words like please, thank you and excuse me
• Adjusts to new situations
• Attempts new tasks knowing it’s okay to make mistakes
• Shows pride in accomplishments
• Follows a simple direction

Motor skills

• Puts puzzles together
• Cuts with scissors
• Holds and uses crayons, markers, pens, and pencils correctly
• Builds using blocks

Reasoning & concept development

• Matches or groups objects according to size, shape or color
• Groups objects that are the same
• Understands concepts of in/out, under/over, on/off, front/back, etc.

 

Language skills

• Talks in sentences
• Follows one- and two-step oral directions
• Uses sentences that include two or more ideas

 

Reading skills

• Looks at books or pictures on their own
• Pretends to read books by reading the pictures
• Tries to read in everyday situations (signs, labels, etc.)
• Recognizes rhyming words

 

Writing skills

• Tries to write, scribble or draw
• Asks you to write words or notes to others
• Attempts to write own name and recognizes own name in print

Mathematics concepts

• Compares the size of groups of objects using language such as “more,” “less” and “same as”
• Arranges objects in size order (big to small, or small to big)
• Uses comparison words, like „bigger,“ „smaller,“ „heavier,“ etc.

 

Science

• Shows interest and asks questions about objects and events observed in their environment
• Notices common properties and differences among objects and materials
• Knows some facts about common plants and animals, such as what they eat and baby names
• Recognizes some objects in the sky such as the sun, moon, clouds, and lightning

Creative arts & music

• Recognizes and names basic colors
• Draws recognizable shapes and simple objects
• Tells a story with pictures
• Moves to a beat
• Explores with common musical instruments
• Enjoys improvising or copying musical patterns

Social studies

• Recognizes basic traditions such as birthdays
• Understands that people live in different parts of the worlds and have different customs and traditions
• Explores simple maps and visual representations of neighborhoods or communities