Skills Your Child Will Need in Kindergarten

Kindergarten is an exciting time for learning and growing. Students gain an incredible amount of new knowledge, develop a better understanding of concepts and ideas, and build more self-reliance and self-confidence. Your child will have better attention and focus abilities, develop fine motor skills like gripping crayons and pencils properly, learn the importance of social skills like sharing and cooperative play, and even gain independent thinking. Here is a rundown of the skills your new student will need at the beginning of kindergarten and what they will acquire during their year at school.

What your child should be able to do by the time they start kindergarten:

• Identify some letters of the alphabet
• Grip a pencil, crayon, or marker correctly
• Use scissors with relative ease
• Write first name / Recognize letters in their name
• Count to 10
• Bounce & toss a ball
• Classify objects according to size, shape, and/or quantity
• Speak using complete sentences
• Recognize some common sight words, like “stop”
• Identify rhyming words
• Play independently for at least ten minutes
• Manage bathroom needs independently
• Get dressed independently
• Follow simple directions
• Clean up & put away toys
• Listen to a story without interrupting
• Separate from parents easily

The following skills will be acquired or perfected during kindergarten:

Reading & Writing

• Recognize and write all of the letters of the alphabet in upper- and lowercase forms
• Write their first and last name
• Learn sounds corresponding to each vowel and consonant
• Identify several sight words, including names of colors
• Recognize and use rhyming words
• Reading comprehension – Retell a story including details
• Put events of a story in order
• Write simple sentences using sight words and phonics skills

Communication

• Listen attentively without interruption for at least 10 minutes
• Raise hands or wait their turn to speak
• Follow complex directions and repeat spoken directions
• Engage in question-and-answer dialogue
• Work as a team on projects or problem-solving

Numbers & Simple Math

• Sort and classify objects using one or more attributes
• Recognize and write numbers to 30
• Count orally by ones, five, and tens
• Understand spatial relationships (top/bottom, near/far, ahead/behind)
• Compare quantities by estimating, weighing, and measuring
• Use graphs to gather information
• Recognize patterns and shapes
• Tell time to the nearest hour
• Count coins
• Recite the days of the week and months of the year

Our focus at Kids ‘R’ Kids Avalon Park is to meet and exceed all kindergarten readiness requirements. From preschool to Pre-K, our qualified teachers work with students and foster an environment of learning and growing so each child can gain the necessary academic and social skills needed to be successful in their future education. Contact us today to find out about enrollment, our award winning curriculum, and how to visit our amazing facilities in Avalon Park.