Kindergarten Readiness
Two questions parents often have regarding kindergarten are: “Is my child ready?” and “How best should we prepare?”
In response to those questions, we have compiled a list of suggestions from our teachers, who have gleaned the information from experience and other various sources.
We hope these suggestions are helpful as you prepare to embark on this exciting journey with your child!
1. Gross and Fine Motor Development
Strengthening hand muscles is important for fine motor skills used in writing and cutting. Yet, fine motor skills are intrinsically connected with gross motor skills — building a strong core will facilitate easier learning with fine motor skills. To develop their gross motor skills children should be:
climbing steps/play structures
running
skipping
jumping
walking in a line
balancing (balance beams, balance bikes, etc.)
hoisting their body onto a swing independently
learning to “pump” on a swing
Activities that strengthen hand muscles (fine motor skills) include:
kneading play dough and bread dough
stringing beads
pushing sand
lacing (cards, shoes, etc.)
using tongs to pick up small items
exercising pincer grip by playing with Legos, small cars, doll clothes, etc.
2. Reading Readiness
Children who display signs of reading readiness are most successful in kindergarten. To clarify, reading readiness is not the same as reading. Reading readiness is the stage of development where a child acquires the foundational cognitive, linguistic, and motor skills necessary to successfully learn to read.
One of the most imperative ways to cultivate reading readiness is by enjoying quality children’s literature with your child, reading aloud to them, side by side.
Some signs of reading readiness are:
recognizes and can create rhyming words (e.g. What rhymes with “cat”? “fat” or “cow”?)
tells the meaning of simple words
uses left-to-right progression
recognizes most letters by name and sound
distinguishes beginning sounds in words
demonstrates the ability to listen to a story
answers questions about a story
writes some letters and numbers
counts objects using one-to-one correspondence
recognizes number words for 1-10
3. Social and Emotional Development
The classroom setting requires students to be able to function successfully as part of a group. Some important first steps toward this are:
knows full name
verbally interacts with others
exhibits self-control and a cooperative nature
recognizes authority and acknowledges adults when spoken to
listens to and follows two and three step instructions
gets along and plays with other children
can work independently