Kindergarten Readiness
Is my child ready for kindergarten? What should I do to help them prepare? These are probably questions that you are asking yourself as you prepare to send your baby to “big kid school.”
As a kindergarten teacher I see kids who are perfectly prepared and I see others who need lots of extra love and attention. While this isn’t a problem, it is helpful to have students entering school with basic self help skills and some beginning academic skills. This not only helps them to feel confident, but it also helps you to send off your little one to kindergarten.
Is My Child Ready?
Here are some questions to ask to help you determine if your child has the skills needed to be successful in kindergarten.
- Can my child sit criss cross?
- Can my child sit through a book that is being read?
- Will my child be able to use the restroom independently?
- Can my kindergartener hold a pencil?
- Can my child use scissors?
- Will my child be able to open their lunch or be able to ask for help?
- Can my child follow simple directions?
- Does my child know how to write their name?
- Can my child find their name in a list?
- Can my child put on their own coat?
- Can my child sing the ABC song?
- Does my child know how to count to 20 without skipping any numbers?
- Can my child identify numbers 1-10?
- Can my child identify letters (when shown a random letter, can they tell you what it is)?
- Can my child make the sound of all of the letters?
If you answered no to some of these questions, that is okay! If you answered no to many of these questions, maybe it is time for some practice! Remember, your child is going to be in a classroom with 20 or more students. At home your kiddo is the center of the universe, in a classroom full of 5 year olds, this is not the case! We want to help but with a ratio of 1:20+, it isn’t always easy!!
Like this? Find out What Teachers Really Want! AND Books to Read to Help Your Kindergartener!!
Yes, all kindergartners need these skills. But the one skill that I forgot to teach my kid, how to tie her shoes! Mainly because she hardly has any shoes with strings lol. *Googles how to teach a child to tie shoes.
This is so helpful. I can’t count the amount of times I see this question asked on Facebook. How do I know my child is ready?!
Well, here are some solid answers. Great job paying attention to your audience! :)
This was such a helpful list! My daughter will be at this point soon, and I’ll be looking into what to help her learn.
[…] Hello! As a kindergarten teacher I know that school readiness is a super important skill. The more prepared your child is for school, the better! If you want to read more about kindergarten readiness, check out this POST! […]