“Is my child ready for kindergarten?” is one of the top questions I receive from parents as an elementary school teacher. And while there are many factors that go into determining whether a child is academically, physically, socially and emotionally prepared to start school, we at Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child have maintained that there are really five main pillars used to prepare a child for the next step: social skills, reading, language, motor skills and number concepts.
If you are a parent of a child preparing to enter school, use the below guide to help you determine whether your child is ready for kindergarten.
Social Skills
My child can:
- Independently manage his or her personal care
- Separate from parents and caregivers easily
- Interact with peers positively
- Wait for his or her turn
- Understand boundaries and personal space
- Ask an adult for help when needed
Reading
My child can:
- Write and recognize their own name
- Identify letters of the alphabet
- Identify upper and lowercase letter pairs
- Listen to a story without distraction or interruption
Language
My child can:
- Respond appropriately to questions
- Follow multi step directions
- Pay attention to stories
- Speak in complete sentences
- Communicate clearly
- Retell a story
Motor Skills
My child can:
- Understand how to hold scissors
- Use scissors with control
- Securely hold a pencil or a crayon
- Trace lines and basic shapes
- Copy basic shapes and lines
- Write the letters in their name
Number Concepts
My child can:
- Recognize patterns in colors, shapes or numbers
- Securely identify colors
- Count to 10 orally
- Identify numbers 1-10 at random
- Understand the concept of:
- on/off
- in/out
- in front of/behind
- up/down
- big/little
- above/below
- first/last
Is your child ready for kindergarten? Join us for our free Kindergarten Skills Parent Workshop on January 22, 2020 to learn how to prepare your child for school with simple daily activities you can do at home.
