Language Skills- Learning to communicate vocally is an important part of your child’s development and a key to learning to read. When entering first grade, your child should be able to describe their experiences, predict what may happen in the future and talk about events that happened in the past.  Children should be able to understand classification (Animals, Shapes, Numbers, etc.) and be able to identify what objects fall into which categories. They should be able to understand and use sequence (big to small, first to last, etc.) and simple prepositions (over/under, before/after, etc.) in conversation.

Background Information- When learning to read, it is important for children to have some level of understanding of the world around them, in order for what they’re reading to make sense. For this reason, it is imperative that children enter the first grade with a wide variety of past exposure to history, geography and science. This doesn’t mean your child has to have a full understanding of any of these concepts, but having some knowledge of basics will greatly increase their ability to make sense of what they read.

Additionally, children should enter the first grade with an appreciation of the written word. They should be exposed to all types of literature as both active listeners and participants. Participation in reading is a necessity when building a solid foundation for learning (and loving) to read. Children should be able to retell stories that have been read to them and remember details without much prompting. They should be able to retell a story’s events in the correct order in which they occurred, and use new words to describe them.

Understanding Print- New first graders should understand not only the format of print (left to right, top to bottom) but that when read, there is a one to one correspondence between the words on the page and the words the reader says.

Sounds of the Alphabet- It’s a fact that you can’t learn to read if you don’t know what sounds the letters on a page make. Familiarity with the alphabet is absolute necessity when learning to read. Kindergartners should be able to recognize letters and the sounds that represent them, as well as their printed names and names of their classmates. Understanding that words are made of individual sounds can teach a reader to break down words into smaller groups of syllables and then say them together, as one word. After gaining command of these skills, a child can learn to write their own words, using sounds of letters to guide them into spelling words.

In short, be sure your child has a firm grasp on the basic concepts of reading. Being able to identify letters by their shape and sound are the cornerstones to learning to read. Armed with this knowledge, your child will be prepared for the first grade and all its adventures!

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Personal Information- Children should be able to clearly communicate their own name, age and sex as well as names and relations to their parents, siblings, grandparents and other relatives.  They should be able to name parts of their bodies and pieces of clothing.

Personal Care- Your child should understand and be able to exhibit good habits of hygiene and fitness including cleaning themselves on the toilet, flushing, and washing hands. They should remember (most of the time) to cover their mouths when they cough (with arms, not hands) and know how to blow their noses by themselves. They should be able to neatly feed themselves with proper utensils, know how to open and close doors using knobs and how to turn a faucet on and off. Additionally, they should be able to dress themselves, work zips and buttons and tie their shoes.

Social Skills- Your child should be comfortable with being away from you for several hours at a time and understand that while at school, they are expected to obey instruction from their teachers. They should exhibit good manners, such as saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and understand that they will have to wait their turn in activity groups and be expected to work well with other children. They are expected to respect other’s property, resist touching things when asked not to and share well with other children (most of the time). They should be able to sit quietly for a short time and listen to a story or instruction and focus on simple tasks.

Communication Skills- Your child should be able to understand simple questions and give simple answers. They should be able to follow instructions like where to go, where to sit, what to pick up, etc. They should be able to follow directions that have two parts and tell someone how they feel.

Preschool Knowledge- Your child should know that books have words written down to tell us things and that they are read left to right and top to bottom. They should be able to identify some letters and numbers as well as their own name. They should be able to spell their name and recognize all the letters in it. They should be able to identify basic shapes and colors and be able to copy down letters, numbers and basic shapes. They should be able to count 10 objects and know the names of common animals. They should be able to name objects around the house and know places around the community (grocery store, fire department, doctor’s office, etc.). They should know basic safety rules and how to safely contact help from an adult. Your child should know his full address, phone number and location of their home. Your child should be able to properly hold and use crayons and pencils and know how to safely use scissors to cut paper.

Kindergarten is a fun and exciting place, full of adventure, wonder and the joy of learning new things! With these basic skills mastered, your child is ready to go!

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