Being a toddler mom, I already feel the pressure of making sure my son checks off all of the “Kindergarten Readiness” boxes by the time we get ready to start school.
I KNOW the research tells us to focus more on play based learning, rather than academics.
But research also tells us that when a child enters kindergarten behind, they almost always remain behind.
“Every year, 40% of children walk into Kindergarten behind. These students struggle to catch up, and sadly, most of them never do.” -The Children’s Reading Foundation
So even if my child isn’t technically “behind” on the developmental spectrum, unfortunately that spectrum doesn’t exactly align with the expectations of our school system.
With that being said, I want to make sure I do what I can to prepare my child for success when he begins school.
REALITY OF AN AVERAGE KINDERGARTEN CLASS
Did you know that in an average Kindergarten class, some kids are there with skills of a three year old, while there are some kids functioning with skills of an eight year old?
That’s a SIX year span.
Can you imagine trying to meet the needs of the child that is ready for second grade level books, while also trying to “catch up” to the child that has never been exposed to the letters of the alphabet?
Or even worse, can you imagine being the Kindergartener that is labeled “behind,” starting his/her school career with a lack of confidence?
WHAT IS KINDERGARTEN READINESS?
Kindergarten readiness is a term used in the education world to describe the skills a child should have that help them transition smoothly into their school career.
I always feel so bad for teachers when I think about this.
There are only so many hours in a day, and teachers have a curriculum that they are held accountable for teaching.
Then, throw in teaching all of the unlisted life skills that many children enter kindergarten without.
If you take out lunch, recess and other special classes, throw in fire drills, assemblies, standardized testing, bathroom breaks, or a global pandemic, that leaves teachers with very little time to fit in the actual curriculum and standards they are held responsible for teaching.
So if a child enters Kindergarten without the skills they are expected to begin school with, you can see why it’s incredibly difficult to catch them up.
KINDERGARTEN READINESS CHECKLIST
Want the full Kindergarten Readiness checklist that includes all academic skills PLUS the full LIFE skills checklist? Go here to download it!
SOCIAL / EMOTIONAL SKILLS
- Separates from caregiver without strong emotions
- Shows and understands basic emotions
- Reacts appropriately when someone is sad
- Expresses emotions (happy, sad, surprised, angry)
- Knows how to take turns with other children
- Can focus and pay attention for at least 5 minutes to a task led by an adult
- Can win or lose without major emotions
FINE MOTOR SKILLS
- Can grip a pencil or crayon correctly (not with their fists)
- Can grasp scissors correctly
- Can correctly trace dotted lines
- Can draw basic shapes or letters with pencil control
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS
- Walk up stairs
- Run
- Catches a ball with two hands
- Jump with both feet together
- Hop on one foot
LITERACY AND PHONEMIC AWARENESS
- Recognizes the meaning of common signs- Stop sign, McDonalds logo, etc.
- Knows how to correctly hold a book- Correctly turns the pages
- Understands that we read from left to right
- Can say/sing letters of the alphabet
- Can point to and identify most letters of the alphabet
- Understands that letters represent sounds Should know the sounds represented by letters in their name.
- Understands that letters form words
- Understands that each word is separated by a space
- Rhyming- Given two words, can tell you if they rhyme- Given one word, can tell you a word that rhymes
- Enjoys listening to stories and being read to
- Recognizes letters in name
- Can retell you what happened in a story
LANGUAGE / LISTENING SKILLS
- Can follow multi-step directions”Push in your chair, put on your jacket and line up at the door.”
- Speaks in sentences (4-6 words)
- Listens to a story without interrupting
- Asks questions when curious
- Can participate in a back and forth conversation
- Answers “wh” questions Who, what, where, why
MATH SKILLS
- Can count up to 20
- Can count up to 10 objects by pointing to each object when counting
- Can sort objects by color, size and shape
- Can identify basic shapes- square, circle, triangle
- Recognizes a group of up to four objects without having to count them
SELF-HELP SKILLS
- Knows parent/guardians names
- Knows how to go to the bathroom independently
- Independently washes hands
- Can communicate basic needs- My belly hurts, I’m hungry, I’m sleepy
- Knows to ask for help when confused Knows to ask an adult- Knows how to communicate their problem
I have created a printable two page Kindergarten Readiness checklist for you to download! One page includes every academic skill and the second page includes every life skill a Kindergartener should have before entering school. Download it here!
