As a transitional kindergarten and kindergarten teacher, I've been the person many parents ask, "How do I know if my child is ready for kindergarten?" So I've created a kindergarten readiness checklist and assessment to give you all the info you want, but before you go on, please note...
There is no one size fits all answer for parents because kindergarten readiness depends on a set of academic skills coupled with social emotional skills plus a familiarity for the classroom setting. Yet still this question begs an answer, so I'm going to do my very best to give you all the information you need in order to give your child the best chance at success.
When it comes to academic readiness there is a certain set of skills that if mastered before kindergarten will ensure that children transition more smoothly and have more success picking up kindergarten skills.
Most of those skills are reading and math related since there is an expectation that children have been exposed to numbers and letters for some time before kindergarten. Below is a FREE downloadable checklist that briefly shares the main reading and math skills kids should know before entering school.
In the checklist I mention knowledge of at least 10 capital and 10 lowercase letters. I've had many kids come into my classroom reading and some without knowing a single letter. All made significant progress, but if I were to say what my expectation was of kids, I would suggest kids be confident with at least 10 letters.
Letter sounds is a big skill too. Some kids know them all; some don't even realize that letters make sounds. If kids realize that letters have sounds before kindergarten and know a few of them, that's a really great start.
Just a reminder, lots of schools differ in expectations. I once had a kindergarten class with multiple children ready for division and then at another school where children entered kindergarten with minimal number skills so that I was teaching numbers 1-5.
I'm just trying to give you the best information from my personal experience coupled with knowledge of the kindergarten standards that all students in the US need to meet by the end of the year.
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to assess your children's letters, sounds, and knowledge of numbers you can purchase the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment now for only $4.00.
This assessment is meant to test the skills that children should know or have familiarity with before kindergarten. This is NOT the same as a Kindergarten Entrance Exam, where kids will often be tested on a wider variety of skills that show their mastery of pre-k AND kindergarten skills. Those are much longer and kids are asked about things they likely do NOT need to know yet.
Here's what's included in the 5 page assessment:
It's especially helpful to have the numbers and letters mixed up so kids cannot rely on the order to give them the correct name. Plus all the questions are written out so you know exactly what to say.
Don't keep wondering if your child is ready! Grab your Kindergarten Readiness Assessment and get the proof in your hands!
Below are the list of skills that help to have before kindergarten. If your child has a specific disability that precludes them from being independent in the self care skills, I would make sure to mention it to their teacher during their transitional IEP or 504 meeting before the school year.
I've taught transitional kindergarten for a number of years and have seen a number of scenarios. Ive seen many children enrolled in this extra year of school even when extremely academically advanced. I'm talking about kids coming in counting to 100, writing simple words, and reading short books, all coming in to Transitional Kindergarten which feeds into kindergarten.
As a new teacher in 2010, I asked them why they made this choice. I had not yet had children of my own and wanted to know the motivation behind "keeping their kids back a year."
Since my first year teaching TK, aka transitional kindergarten, I've come to shift my view. It no longer feels like children are "being held back" and feels more like they've been given "the gift of time."
Just because children can read doesn't mean they're necessarily ready for kindergarten. Social skills and parental intuition matter a whole lot.
Parents often chose the "gift of time" if they felt their child was not emotionally mature enough or able to be independent enough to go to kindergarten. Other reasons included social confidence or lack of interest in paper to pencil tasks.
Sometimes a parent can't put their finger on it, but they have this feeling that they need to start kindergarten a year later, and I say, "Go with your gut!" You know your child!
Are you feeling unsure of how to prepare your child for kindergarten this fall? Was their assessment just okay or did it make you want to work on some learning in these next weeks?
You're in luck! I've created a kinder-ready curriculum to teach the MOST important academic skills listed in the kindergarten readiness checklist. It's only 8 weeks long and presented in a way kids love and parents find SUPER SIMPLE!
Each week (for 8 weeks) I'll send you 5 hands-on activities to do with your child straight to your email. All activities are fun and hands-on. So, you'll see NO worksheets or have to enforce that your child do "work." In fact, the kids will be asking, "Hey, what's the next activity?"
All activities are less than 5 minutes to set up and the supplies will be super simple:
These hands-on learning activities ensure that your child masters the skills they need to have a smooth and successful kindergarten year. Heck, it might even catapult them to the top of their class. Best of all they'll be EXCITED about learning.
At an age where they have 13 years of schooling ahead of them (or more), it's vital that we get kids excited about learning. Check it out!
