Ready for Kindergarten: Academic milestones
Skills
4 ways to tell if your child is academically ready for the next step.
Kindergarten is a resting and regrouping point after a long uphill climb in development. In kindergarten, the information gathered during previous years is integrated and children are focused on mastery. Many kids seem cool and calm compared to just a year prior.
To understand whether your child is ready for the academic challenges of kindergarten, assess how your child compares to the following statements in 4 key areas.
Letters & sounds
- I can match some letters and sounds and begin to recognize rhymes.
- I can trace letters and write some on my own.
- I can read some common words and recognize words on signs and labels.
Creative expression
- I can name basic colors and shapes.
- I can express myself creatively and tell a story using pictures.
Number recognition
- I recognize some numbers and use numbers to describe “how many?”
- I love to count things. I might count how many toys I have or how many traffic lights we pass on the way home.
- I can distinguish numbers from letters, and I know that numbers relate to quantity.
Similar or different
- I can describe how objects are similar or different.
- I ask questions about objecs and events to grow my understanding of the world.
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Follow these tips for learning at home—you’ll see a world of difference in your kindergartner’s academic achievement.