As a parent, the thought of your child preparing for kindergarten can be both exciting and intimidating. Kindergarten is the bridge between preschool and primary school, one of the most important milestones in your child’s education.
In order to make sure your child is well prepared for kindergarten, you need to make sure they have the appropriate base knowledge and skills. In this article, we will address the 15 most important things that your child should know before entering kindergarten.
1. Letters and Numbers
One of the key skills that your child should be aware of before entering kindergarten is the alphabet, and numbers from 1 to While knowing the alphabet sequence isn’t as important as it may seem, being able to recite the names of letters and numbers will give them a more solid foundation for later successes in reading and math.
Writing letters, numbers and shapes is an ideal goal to have for your child on the road to kindergarten. For younger children, one way to introduce and practice the alphabet is with playful activities such as puzzles or games. You may also help your child learn and become familiar with letters and numbers by pointing out the shapes and letters when you see them in the world around them.
Pointing out stop signs, billboards and signage while you’re in the car or out and about can be a great way to help them become familiarized with the shapes of letters. Repetition and practice are key when introducing a new concept, so make sure to make it a priority in your day. When your child is a bit more comfortable with the letters, you can introduce fun worksheets that begin to identify the sound needed to create each letter.
Doing this will give them a better understanding of vowels, consonants, and what letters are needed to spell out words.
2. Colors and Shapes
Colors and shapes are another basic concept that your child should familiarize themselves with before kindergarten. Introducing the names of shapes and colors can be done as early as a few months old and is a great way to help develop their cognitive skills and identity.
Pointing out shapes when in the home or out and about will help your child become understand the basic concepts of shapes and colors. You can use books, flashcards and toys as a way to help your child understand shapes. For instance, you can build a puzzle with the child and talk about the shapes needed to build the images.
You can also introduce them to worksheets and art projects that use basic shapes, such as coloring a star or a triangle. This can also be a great way for your child to learn more about numbers and letters.
When your child has a foundation for shapes, you can introduce them to a wider variety of shapes and their different properties. Introducing them to more abstract shapes such as ovals, rectangles, and polygons will help them become even more familiar with shapes. Finally, asking your child to identify objects by their shape and color will help them become even more familiar and confident with the concept.
3. Sorting by Color and Shape
Once your child has a basic understanding of shapes and colors, it is time to take that knowledge one step further and begin to teach your child how to sort shapes and colors. Sorting is an important concept to learn as it can build independence and problem solving skills. One tool you may find helpful when teaching sorting to your child are sorting mats.
This can be an easily accessible way for your child to practice their sorting skills. Sorting mats come with shapes and colors that your child can practice sorting and arranging by physical properties.
Not only does this help them practice their sorting skills, but it also helps them become more familiar with shapes and colors as well. You may also find that teaching shapes and colors through puzzles and blocks is helpful as well. Through these types of games, your child can learn to identify shapes and colors, while also learning to group and organize them.
As they progress, they can also learn to sort 3-dimensional objects and compare the items based on size, color, and shape.
4. Counting and Identification
Counting is a very important skill to learn before kindergarten as it provides a much-needed base foundation for arithmetic. When teaching your child to count, introduce them to one-to-one correspondence. This is a valuable tool that will allow them to immediately recognize the number of an object or group just by counting it.
You may need to use different methods to allow them to practice their counting skills, such as counting individual items or counting the number of times something has been done. Counting can also help your child with identification.
As your child progresses in their counting skills, you can start introducing patterns and recognize how many items line up in a pattern. For instance, if you’re counting to 10, your child can learn how to identify the patterns with every number.
For example, when counting to 10, your child may be able to recognize that 3 comes after 2 and before
5. Social Interaction
Social interaction is an important aspect of kindergarten and having a foundation in the basics of socialization can help the transition to kindergarten a lot easier. Teaching your child to be aware of the feelings and emotions of others can help them become better communicators.
Role-playing activities can help in teaching your child basic interactions with others, such as introducing themselves and being interactive with kids in the same room. It is also important to include manners and perspective taking in order to teach your child to be respectful and empathetic towards other children. Role models at home can play a huge part in teaching them to show appreciation, say please and thank you, and how to politely disagree and agree.
In addition to teaching your child social basics and manners, you should also introduce them to basic strategies for problem solving. This may include teaching them to step back from disagreements, take turns, and look for a win-win situation.
6. Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills refer to large movements and involve multiple muscle groups. These skills are important in order for your child to be able to move more freely and interact with the environment around them. Common activities and skills that can help your child develop their gross motor skills include hopping, skipping, throwing, running, stacking and catching.
If possible, try to have your child engage in activities that involve both gross and fine motor skills, as this is the most beneficial way to help them progress and become more willing regarding physical activities. Activities such as swimming or playing outside can also be great for helping your child become familiar with their body and the way it moves.
Coordination of movement and spatial awareness are also important for your child to participate in more physical and demanding activities – activities that may be imminent during their time in kindergarten.
7.Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills require more intricate coordination between smaller muscle groups and joints. These skills are important for manipulations of smaller objects, such as pencils, scissors, and other tools and toys.
Examples of activities that can help to improve your child’s fine motor skills include threading beads, assembling puzzles, drawing shapes and letters, unscrewing lids, and coloring. Drawing and coloring, in particular, can be beneficial to help give your child a better feel for the control and accuracy needed when writing and color coordinating. Other activities you can do to help your child hone their fine motor skills include using tweezers, making play dough sculptures, and using lego blocks.
Many of these activities will also help with problem-solving, as well as enhance their creativity.
8. Language and Conversation
Being able to communicate with teachers and peers is essential for your child’s success in kindergarten. Developing your child’s language and conversation skills will help them not only become acclimated to the teacher and other students but also engage in listening, communicative tasks, and effective conversations.
To help your child become more familiar with language and conversation, it is important to read to them and converse with them enough – talking out loud instead of in their heads. Another way to help your child foster their language skills is by allowing them to talk with other children and befriend them. This helps them learn to have a conversation with someone else in a polite and age-appropriate manner.
When it comes to the actual writing aspect of language, it is important to have your child practice their writing skills. Provide them with worksheets and activities that help them become familiarized with writing the alphabet and basic words. Drawing and traceable worksheets can also be a great way to give them more practice.
9. Self-Care and Personal Hygiene
Teaching your child about self-care and personal hygiene is perhaps one of the most crucial skills for your child to possess before entering kindergarten. Knowing basic things like how to wash their hands, blow their nose, and brush their teeth will help them become accustomed to routines and help them develop self-care routines. Another concept you should teach your child is the importance of organization and tidying up.
This will help them understand the importance of taking care of objects and being aware of the things around them. Once your child understands the basics of organization and how to properly care for things, you can introduce them to more intricate tasks.
Finally, helping your child learn how to recognize their own emotions can help them communicate their feelings more effectively with their classmates and teacher. Helping them tie their emotions to particular parts of their body also helps them become more conscious and aware of their emotion-related body language.
10. Listening and Follow Directions
One of the most important skills for kindergarten-readiness is the ability to listen and follow directions. Teaching your child to make eye contact, stay still and become aware of verbal instruction will go a long way in helping them become more confident in the classroom. Providing your child with activities that they can practice following commands is key when trying to help them understand the importance of following directions.
This is also a great opportunity to introduce the concepts of rules and routines, as well as help them become aware of the structure and expected behaviors in the classroom. When trying to help your child understand directions, it is important that they understand the steps they need to take, and the specific order they should follow.
For example, if you are teaching your child how to brush their teeth, it is important that they are able to remember each step and follow the process from start to finish.
11. Problem Solving and Determination
Problem solving and determination are key skills for success in any environment and particularly in the school setting. Teaching your child how to think and analyze critically can help them choose the best solution when faced with a problem. This is one of the many ways to start introducing your child to independent problem solving.
Your child should understand that problem-solving requires patience, focus, and determination. Teaching them this valuable skill and helping them recognize that they can solve problems on their own can help them become more self-sufficient and confident in the classroom.
Provide your child with activities and games that can help them hone their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. These activities and games should also teach them the importance of perseverence and resilience, helping them understand that sometimes one must commit to a task, in order to find the best solution.
12. Empathy and Interaction
Having a base understanding of empathy before kindergarten is important in order for your child to be able to identify and respect the feelings of others. Empathy is the ability to understand the point of view and motives of others, and many times it can be overwhelmed in a new environment. Help your child understand the importance of empathy through teaching them the basics of social interaction, manners and everyday activities.
For example, you can teach your child to ask others how they are feeling, and genuinely listening to the response. You can also have them engage in activities that involve a give and take, or activities that require them to share with other kids.
Teach your child to express affection, consideration and appreciation for others, as well as show them how to be kind even when someone may be mean or unfair. Help your child understand that being kind and understanding can teach others to look for positive interactions and understanding within the classroom.
13. Imagination and Creativity
Imagination is essential for any child’s mental and cognitive development – children need the ability to think outside of the box and come up with creative solutions to problems. Giving your child the opportunity to unleash their imagination using different means can be a great benefit on the road to kindergarten.
Encouraging your child to think for themselves and be creative can be a great way to help them feel confident and brave. Depending on the age of your child, a great way to do this is by providing them with art materials and tools to express themselves. You can also encourage imaginative and creative play through puppetry, dress-up games, and costumes.
As your child becomes more comfortable with expressing themselves, you can introduce them to storytelling and help them create imaginary stories and settings.
14. Science and Nature
While your focus may be on the fundamentals of kindergarten, it is also important to introduce your child to the basics of science and nature. This will help your child become familiarized with the world around them and help them become better problem solvers. Introducing your child to the science of nature can help your child become more engaged and aware of the environment around them.
You can do this by engaging your child in activities such as making a bird feeder or observing the stars in the night sky. Any type of activity that helps them explore the natural world around them can be beneficial.
In addition to the basics of science, introducing your child to basic concepts of mathematics can also be a great way to help them become more comfortable with numbers and shapes. This can be done through counting games and activities, as well as math worksheets and formulas.
15. Music and Dance
Introducing your child to music and dance can also be a great way to help them become more engaged and aware of their bodies. Music and movement can help your child become more engaged in their environment. A great way to introduce your child to music and singing is by listening to songs and playing instruments.
Teaching a few popular songs like “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and “The Wheels on the Bus” can be a great way to keep them engaged. Dancing with them in different ways can also help them explore their bodies and help them become familiar with their own movements.
Introducing them to stories and songs with movements can also be a great way to teach them how to play with different musical instruments. When comfortable enough, you can introduce more intricate instruments such as the piano, guitar, and drums. ConclusionBy taking the time to teach your child the 15 important skills mentioned in this article, you will be setting them up for a successful transition into kindergarten.
While all the skills discussed in this article might seem overwhelming, the important thing is to take it one step at a time and enjoy the process! By committing to daily activities and taking advantage of the many different resources available, you will surely have your child ready for kindergarten.