by Ellen Carroll on February 21, 2009

Education, Kindergarten, Pre-K

Sending your children off for their first day of Kindergarten can be tough, but sending them unprepared can be much worse. Understanding what your children will be expected to know before Kindergarten can smooth the transition and boost your child’s confidence, leaving them eager to learn! According to Pre-K and Kindergarten teachers, this is what your child needs to know before they begin their formal education.

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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