How to Know If My Child Is Ready to Start Kindergarten

It is that time of year that parents and children are starting to think about school. Children will be returning to school shortly, but for some children – our youngest students – it will be a brand new experience – KINDERGARTEN!

Is your child ready to start kindergarten? Here are some considerations to help you decide.


Instructions

Step 1

THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S SOCIAL NEEDS: Does your child play nicely with other children? When you set up play dates, can your child play without hitting or biting? Does your child follow adult oral directions or your rules? Can your child sit for short periods of time (10-15 minutes)? When school starts, your child will be in a classroom with many other children. They will need to have these basic skills in place to successfully function within a classroom setting. Settling into a new setting is important.

Step 2

THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S PERSONAL NEEDS: There are basic self-care skills that each child should be fairly independent at. Can your child blow their nose? Tie their shoes? Put on and zip their coat? Put away toys? Use the bathroom and wash their hands?

Step 3

THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S INTELLECTUAL OR ACADEMIC NEEDS: Children entering kindergarten should be able to perform some basic tasks and have some pre-literacy skills. There are many checklists available online, but as a former kindergarten teacher I would be thrilled if my beginning kindergarteners had the following skills:
a. Listens to and enjoys stories
b. Can recognize and names 10-15 letters, and knows their sounds
c. Speaks in complete sentences
d. Can print their first name
e. Counts to 20 (1,2,3…)
f. Can count 5 objects correctly
g. Knows their colors and shapes
h. Can sort by color, shape and size
i. Understands basic concepts like more, less, same
j. Understands positional words like above, below

Step 4

IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S READINESS: If you are worried about your child and whether they are ready for kindergarten, the first step you should take is to talk with your child’s preschool teacher. They have been with your child in a school setting, and can shed a great deal of light into your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

Step 5

If your child is not in preschool, make an appointment with the local elementary school principal. Tell them your concerns. They are absolutely there to help you sort through the situation, and assist you in next steps. It may be a kindergarten screening that is needed; it may be talking with a kindergarten teacher; it may be just spending time with the principal and talking through the problem.


Tips & Warnings


As you can see, kindergarten readiness is a complex issue. You cannot simply look at what your child can do academically – you must look at the whole child – social needs, personal needs as well as their intellectual or academic needs. Gather information, talk to education professionals, and then make the decision about school readiness. You, after all, are your child's first and most important teacher!

plannerpatty | ehow