21 Things Your Child Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten

Kindergarten is a crucial year for children as their young minds begin their first year in a school system. They are entering an environment that has more intended goals and rules. Some children have a preschool background, while others do not. No matter what educational exposure a child may have, there are key things every child should know before entering kindergarten.

Here is an example checklist of what your child needs to know before starting kindergarten.

Letter Recognition

Letter recognition is the ability to identify letters of the alphabet. Your child should be able to:

1. Know all the letters in their first name
   
2. Write their first name with the first letter as an uppercase and the remaining letters lowercase
3. Identify most upper and lower case letters
4. Know which pages come first in a book and are able to read from left to right
5. Able to rhyme easy words (ex: hat and bat)
6. Make most letter sounds/matches

Number/Shape/Color Recognition

7. Number/shape/color recognition is the ability to identify basic numbers, shapes, and colors. Your child should be able to:
8. Count to ten or more and identify numbers 1-10 in any order
9. Identify basic shapes (triangle, square, rectangle, circle, square, oval, star, and heart)
10. Arrange and group different objects
11. Know basic colors (red, blue, green, black, white, orange, yellow, pink, and purple) yellow

Fine Motor and Physical Skills

Fine motor skills are the ability to move and control small muscle movements of the hands, fingers, face, mouth, and feet. Physical skills refer to large body movements. Your child should be able to:

12. Hold a pencil, crayon, or marker correctly 
13. Hold scissors correctly 
14. Bounce, throw, and catch balls during outdoor playtime
15. Run, climb, and jump comfortably

Social Skills and Abilities 

Social Skills are the ability to interact with other people verbally and non-verbally. This is done through body language, gestures, and personal appearance. Your child should be able to:

16. Use the restroom by themselves
17. Sit for a short story (around 5-10 minutes)
18. Listen and follow directions (up to 2-3 steps)
19. Share with other students
20. Clean up after themselves
21. Solve problems without using anger and aggression

Read the Rest of the Series!

Have multiple children in multiple grades? Read the rest of the series!

• 21 Things Your Child Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten
• 45 Things Your Child Should Know Before Entering First Grade
  
• 45 Things Your Child Should Know Before Entering Second Grade
• 43 Things Your Child Should Know Before Entering Third Grade
• 48 Things Your Child Should Know Before Entering Fourth Grade
• 49 Things Your Child Should Know Before Entering Fifth Grade

Sources:

• “Kindergarten Readiness Test.” NJ Kindergarten Readiness Test and Checklist, Harmony Pediatric Therapy. Web.
• “What Every Child Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten.” Top 15 Things Every Child Should Know Before Entering Kindergarten, Orting School District. Web.
• New Jersey State Department of Education website, , http://www.state.nj.us/education/ece/
• "Model CurriculumKindergarten Mathematics Units," New Jersey Department of Education, http://www.state.nj.us/education/modelcurriculum/math/k.pdf