Kindergarten Readiness
Guidelines for Parents to Determine Children's School Preparedness
This article offers parents a guideline to determine if their children are prepared for kindergarten.
When kids prepare to scamper off to school for the first time, parents grow concerned about their kindergarten readiness. The following is a guideline that parents can use when determining their child's school preparedness.
Pre-Academic Expectations for Kindergarten Preparedness
Before children enter kindergarten, they should have reached the following academic milestones:
- speaks clearly
- recognizes rhyming sounds
- recognizes size and position (big, small, up, down, over, under)
- manipulates buttons and zippers on his belongings
- traces and copies basic shapes
- holds conversations using complete sentences (five or six words)
- identifies some letter sounds
- identifies letters of the alphabet
- sorts objects by color, size and shape
- recognizes groups of up to five objects
- counts and recognizes numbers up to 10
- recognizes his first and last name
- writes his first name
- uses crayons, paint, paste, scissors, pencils and clay appropriately
- draws rather than scribbles
Emotional Expectations for Kindergarten Preparedness
According to the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Fact Sheets, Early Childhood Educators #3, “Children with more preschool experience (center based or licensed family home care) displayed fewer stress behaviors during the early weeks of kindergarten because they have already adapted to separation from their primary caregiver, met and interacted with new peers, accepted new authority figures, been exposed to new routines . . .”
When assessing children’s emotional readiness for kindergarten, parents should remember that it helps when children are able to do the following before entering school:
- can separate from parents without excessive crying
- can manage their own bathroom needs
- can verbalize their needs and wants
- can sit through an age appropriate story without interrupting
- can work independently for short periods of time
- can make simple choices
- recognizes authority figures
Social Expectations for Kindergarten Preparedness
Before entering kindergarten, children should have reached the following social milestones:
- treats others in a respectful manner
- respects the property of others
- shares and takes turns with others
- finishes a task after it is started
- follows simple instructions
- pays attention for short periods of time to adult-directed tasks
According to the United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, the qualities that public school kindergarten teachers consider essential for school readiness are that children be physically healthy, rested, and well-nourished; have the ability to verbally communicate needs, wants, and thoughts; and have enthusiasm and curiosity in approaching new activities.
Kindergarten teachers are trained to understand that development in kids will vary. They are ready to partner with parents in an effort to make each child’s transition to kindergarten a success.
US Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Accessed: 3/06/08
University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Fact Sheets #3. Kindergarten Readiness. Accessed: 3/06/08
