Readiness for New Beginnings" width="800" height="527" />Readiness for New Beginnings" width="800" height="527" />
At Begin, we focus on developing the 5 C’s (Core Skills, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Curiosity, and Character), a set of research-backed skill areas that help kids thrive in school and life. We’ve compiled a kindergarten skills checklist of the specific abilities your child will benefit from having upon entering kindergarten. It’s a great way to see where your child is today. In addition, we’ve added a few tips to help if your child is having trouble with certain skills.
Learning doesn’t have to be complicated, and kindergarten should be fun (most of the time). Hang in there and try to enjoy preparing for the exciting new school journey ahead!
Language matters a lot in early learning! It’s one of the most important Core Skills there is. Here are the verbal skills that will help your child the most as they start kindergarten.
Children are still developing their receptive language skills at this age, so you can help them grow by exposing them to a variety of words, books, and discussions. This will help them develop their vocabulary and be better prepared to talk to others at school.
By now, you and others should be able to clearly understand what your child is saying most of the time. Of course, they’ll still have a couple of sounds that are hard for them, such as “r” or “s,” but they should be improving over time.
If they’re not or you have other speech concerns, consult your doctor or a speech therapist. It’s always better to ask early and intervene (if needed) than see them struggle.
Reading, another Core Skill, is one of the most crucial parts of a child’s education, and kindergarten is one of the most important years in a child’s reading development. Below are the milestones you can look for to help them prepare.
Your child will spend a lot of time in kindergarten mastering letters and sounds. They’ll also learn to blend these sounds to read simple words. The more letters they know when they start school, the better.
Reading is so important for early learning that it’s one of the core focuses of our company. Just 15 minutes a day with HOMER, our early learning app, can improve early reading scores by 74%! HOMER is available on its own or as part of our Early Learner Program, which brings together award-winning apps, hands-on activities, and 1-on-1 guidance that will make the kindergarten transition easier on every level.
Math is another essential Core Skill. While your child doesn’t need to be able to add and subtract with ease yet (they’ll learn that in kindergarten!), there are many math concepts they can practice to get ready:
Kindergarten readiness in math is all about understanding and being able to explain simple concepts. These basics provide a foundation for the more complicated math your child will learn in kindergarten and beyond.
Kids have lots of opportunities to run and play in kindergarten! Physical development is an important part of their schooling (and developing Core Skills) at this age. These gross motor skills will help them in P.E., at recess, and in the school building!
As your child plays, they strengthen their large muscles. This helps them develop coordination and balance, which they need for kindergarten activities.
While gross motor skills involve the large muscles in our arms and legs, fine motor skills involve the smaller muscles in our hands and fingers. These fine motor skills will help your child in kindergarten:
You can set up an arts and crafts station at home to help your child improve their fine motor skills. Stock it with items like scissors, glue, colored pencils, and crayons that they can use to create when they feel inspired. It’s a great way to encourage Creativity!
Your child will spend time away from you in kindergarten, perhaps for the first time. And even if they’re used to preschool, they’ll be in a new environment with new people and new sets of rules.
Developing their social and emotional skills (part of their Character) will help them feel confident in their new classroom. Here are some to work on:
Social and emotional skills are another pillar of our Early Learner Bundle, which includes Learn with Sesame Street. The app is packed with games and activities designed to help kids learn how to handle emotions, compromise with others, and tackle new social situations easily. (And with favorite Sesame Street characters to help along the way, it’s one that kids love playing with, too!)
Basic self-care skills help kids enormously in kindergarten. To help them get their best start, check that they:
If you’re still helping your child with things like going to the bathroom or getting dressed, that’s perfectly normal. However, it’s a great time to start teaching them how to do these things on their own so they’re prepared for kindergarten.
Every child is different and learns and grows at different rates. If your child hasn’t mastered some of the skills above, that’s OK! It’s normal for children to be strong in certain areas and a bit weaker in others. (That’s the case with adults as well!)
Celebrate the areas they excel in and work on those they struggle with. This will help them get confident and comfortable taking on challenging tasks. When you work on skills with them, focus on one or two challenge areas at a time and try to tap into their Curiosity. Doing too much at once, or picking activities they’re not interested in, can overwhelm you and your child and won’t be as effective.
Last but not least, remember that setbacks are normal; the goal is progress, not perfection. It’s OK to mess up! Praise their efforts and teach them that making mistakes is part of the learning process.
The start of kindergarten is exciting (and sometimes nerve-racking!) for kids and parents alike. Skills checklists like this one can be helpful, but we know your child is much more than just a list of abilities. They’re a wonderful, unique kid—there’s never been one quite like them and there never will be again—and there are many ways for them to thrive.
When in doubt, focus on the 5 C’s. And as you get ready for kindergarten, don’t forget that we’re here to help, every step of the way. Our award-winning learning products and age- and stage-matched learning membership help kids learn the skills that matter most, including the ones they’ll need to thrive in kindergarten.
Take our online quiz and see how we can help your family today!
Jody has a Ph.D. in Developmental Science and more than a decade of experience in the children’s media and early learning space. View all posts
