Kindergarten Readiness

Every year in the spring I am inundated with similar questions – “Do you think my child is ready for Kindergarten?” and “What can I do to make sure my child is ready for Kindergarten?” Unfortunately, these questions can’t be answered easily.  There are a number of factors that need to be considered when determining Kindergarten readiness, and on Tuesday I discussed some of the social skills that I generally look for, and I shared some suggestions for parents.  Today I’m going to share some of the academic skills that are helpful for children to know before they go to Kindergarten.

I have to preface this post by saying that these skills are in no way required in order to enroll in Kindergarten.  Most of these skills are covered as part of Kindergarten curriculum, however, if children have a grasp of these concepts before they are introduced as part of the curriculum, they will be able to successfully complete basic activities.  These successes at the beginning of their Kindergarten experience will help build their confidence and help them feel more competent when it comes to school.

In my opinion, the best thing that preschool teachers and parents can do to help prepare children for kindergarten is to simply expose them to basic concepts, such as;

• Colors
• Shapes
• Letters
• Numbers