Skills Your Child Should Have Before Entering Kindergarten

My daughter will be moving up from kindergarten in a few weeks. When she was getting ready to enter kindergarten last year she was given an assessment of her skills to see where she falls in comparison to her classmates. While every child learns and develops at a different pace so the same things cannot be expected from every child schools like to see where children stand with certain skills. Below are some of the skills that my daughter was evaluated on and some of the skills that our district recommends children entering kindergarten have at least started to learn. I hope that this list helps in preparing your children for kindergarten!

Social Skills and Behavioral Skills

Is generally cooperative

Interacts easily with other children and with adults

Generally able to take turns and share

Cleans up after play

Seeks help to resolve conflicts

Follows one to two step directions

Generally understands what is being explained

Able to use the bathroom on their own

Alphabet, Writing, and Language

Knows their first and last name

Knows their address and phone number

Able to recite or sing the alphabet

Identifies upper and lower case letters

Recognizes sounds that some letters make

Grasps a pencil properly

Able to write their first name

Beginner ability to write the ABCs

Ability to listen to stories aloud

Mathematical Skills

Able to identify four shapes (circle, square, rectangle, triangle)

Can draw a line and basic shapes

Sorts by color, shape, and size

Recognizes simple patterns and the ability to duplicate them

Identifies numbers 1 through 10

Beginning to learn or know how to learn to write numbers 1 - 10

Able to count to 20

Understands and uses measurements such as big and little, short/long and less/more.

Understands the concept of opposites

Able to recognize positions and directions such as up and down, in and out, above and below.

Motor Skills

Walk a straight line

Jumps in place landing on two feet

Balances on one foot for 5 seconds

Able to throw a ball

Stacks blocks 

Grasps scissors correctly

Able to cut a line in paper

Understands how to use a glue stick

Completes simple puzzles

Able to flatten, roll a ball, and make a snake from play doh

Able to button and zipper

Arts and Music

Able to identify colors

Willing to use a variety of art materials 

Participates in music classes with singing and dance movements

Plays make believe and can pretend

There are many resources that can help to prepare your children for kindergarten such as educational apps, learning websites, and workbooks. There are also many learning games that you can  find to help children with some of these skills. Incorporating skills into fun activities is also an awesome way to help children to learn some of these concepts!