Kindergarten Readiness

Kindergarten Readiness

kindergarten readiness Mi chu Chu tren

Kindergarten Readiness

There is a common question parents have when their children are approaching their fifth birthday. Are they ready for kindergarten? After this question a list of thousand more start passing through their minds non-stop. Do they need to be reading? Writing? Should parents be preparing them for the big day? Are they learning enough at their pre-school, or are they playing too much?

First, I want to clarify that there is never “too much play” for a kid since this is their best way to learn. Play is actually their best path towards academic growth. Every child is unique and develops at their own pace and entering Kindergarten is their first step of their educational voyage.

Chill out parents. Children do not need to be reading or writing, or doing math and science to be ready for Kindergarten. It is true that Kindergarten are every day more and more rigorous but that doesn’t mean we need to teach our kids as much as we can before entering to school, what should we be concerned about is how prepared they are to face new friends, new environment and new challenges. The necessary skills to succeed ( and I am not talking just for kindergarten) are the ones that allow them to empathize with peers and teachers, to communicate what they feel and think and their curiosity to learn.

Just in case you still wonder if there are guidelines to check if your children are ready or not, I am going to share with you a list of things most schools are asking for.

Social Skills

  • Uses words to solve problems or conflicts
  • Uses words like please, thank you and excuse me
  • Adjusts to new situations
  • Attempts new tasks knowing it’s okay to make mistakes
  • Shows pride in accomplishments
  • Follows a simple direction
  • Stays with an activity to completion
  • Asks for help
  • Interacts appropriately with adults and peers
  • Respects the rights, property and feelings of others
  • Works cooperatively (listens to others, shares and takes turns)
  • Demonstrates increasing self-control
  • Participates in clean-up activities
  • Takes responsibility for own belongings (lunch, coat, etc.)
  • Is able to dress self

Motor Skills

  • Puts puzzles together
  • Cuts with scissors
  • Holds and uses crayons, markers, pens and pencils correctly
  • Builds using blocks
  • Tries to tie own shoes
  • Bounces, kicks, throws and catches a ball
  • Rides a tricycle
  • Enjoys outdoor activities, like running, jumping and climbing

Reasoning & concept development

  • Matches or groups objects according to size, shape or color
  • Groups objects that are the same
  • Understands concepts of in/out, under/over, on/off, front/back, etc.
  • Shows an understanding of the passing of time: concepts of before and after, and today, yesterday and tomorrow
  • Experiments enthusiastically with new games and toys, sometimes in a trial-and-error manner
  • Describes how objects are the same or different

Language skills

  • Talks in sentences
  • Follows one- and two-step oral directions
  • Uses sentences that include two or more ideas
  • Uses descriptive language
  • Knows by heart and recites some common nursery rhymes and songs
  • Pretends, creates and makes up songs or stories
  • Tells or retells stories and/or everyday experiences
  • Asks questions and expresses curiosity
  • Expresses ideas so that others can understand

Reading skills

  • Looks at books or pictures on their own
  • Pretends to read books by reading the pictures
  • Tries to read in everyday situations (signs, labels, etc.)
  • Recognizes rhyming words
  • Blends sounds into words
  • Recognizes some common words in print
  • Recognizes many uppercase and lowercase letters
  • Recognizes some letter sounds
  • Describes characters’ actions and feelings in a story
  • Relates stories to personal experiences
  • Puts events of a story in order

Writing and Mathematics concepts

  • Tries to write, scribble or draw
  • Asks you to write words or notes to others
  • Attempts to write own name and recognizes own name in print
  • Compares the size of groups of objects using language such as “more,” “less” and “same as”
  • Arranges objects in size order (big to small, or small to big)
  • Uses comparison words, like “bigger,” “smaller,” “heavier,” etc.
  • Understands concepts of none, some and all and more than and less than
  • Identifies and draws a square, circle and triangle
  • Correctly counts four to ten objects
  • Knows that the final number counted represents the total number of objects in a set
  • Recognizes some numbers, 1 – 10
  • Can distinguish numbers from letters, and understands that numbers relate to quantity
  • Understands the effects of addition and subtraction

Science and Social studies

  • Shows interest and asks questions about objects and events observed in their environment
  • Notices common properties and differences among objects and materials
  • Knows some facts about common plants and animals, such as what they eat and baby names
  • Recognizes some objects in the sky such as the sun, moon, clouds and lightning
  • Recognizes basic traditions such as birthdays
  • Understands that people live in different parts of the worlds and have different customs and traditions
  • Explores simple maps and visual representations of neighborhoods or communities

Creative arts & music

  • Recognizes and names basic colors
  • Draws recognizable shapes and simple objects
  • Tells a story with pictures
  • Moves to a beat
  • Explores with common musical instruments
  • Enjoys improvising or copying musical patterns