Is your child ready for kindergarten? Although each child is unique and develops at his or her own pace, most educators and developmental experts agree upon a certain set of skills as essential tools for further development and achievement in school. Here’s a checklist of the developmental skills children need exposure to and knowledge of before they enter kindergarten.
Kindergarten readiness checklist
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
- Adheres to a routine and schedule for personal hygiene, eating meals and going to bed
- Uses good hygiene habits and table manners
- Uses appropriate bathroom skills
- Follows simple safety rules
- Offers to help peers and family
- Tries to regulate emotions properly and articulates feelings in words
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, including 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 skills
- 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
Mathematics concepts
- 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, someand 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
- 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
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
Social studies
- Recognizes basic traditions such as birthdays
- Understands that people live in different parts of the world and have different customs and traditions
- Explores simple maps and visual representations of neighborhoods or communities
Image Source: Google
Source: https://www.leapfrog.com/en-us/learning-path/articles/kindergarten-skills-checklist
(This article/text/quote/image is shared in good spirit to strengthen the education system.)
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