So you’re getting your child ready for kindergarten! This is a transition time that can be filled with excitement, nervousness, and even some sadness as well. It’s important to remember that it’s OK for you to feel any of these emotions, just as it’s OK and perfectly normal for your child to feel a range of emotions as well. The good news is that there are things that you can do TODAY to assist your child in their upcoming transition. Before we jump to the to-do list, let’s talk about the transition itself.
When children enter kindergarten, they will learn and grow in many different ways, not just academically. While kindergarten does focus more on traditional “academics” today than it did in the past, your child will be growing socially, emotionally, and cognitively.
What do actual kindergarten teachers say is important for readiness?
We’ve done the research for you! Here are the things that current kindergarten teachers say are important for your child to be able to do when entering kindergarten:
- Follow directions– Kindergarteners receive a lot of instruction throughout the day so being able to listen and follow directions such as “it is time to clean up your pencils”, “everyone please come have a seat on the rug”, or “please line up at the door to go to lunch.”
- Be independent in self-care tasks– Your child should be working towards independence in areas like opening their own lunchbox, putting on their own shoes or jacket, and using the bathroom and washing their hands.
- Demonstrate appropriate social skills– Kindergarteners should have a basic understanding of how to behave in a group of other children by listening when the teacher is talking, being able to share and take turns with other children, and be able to wait patiently.
- Possess basic academic skills– Kindergarten will be a year of incredible learning and academic growth for your child. Kids will spend much time learning to read and learning basic math so it is helpful for your child to know their alphabet, be able to recognize the letters of the alphabet, and be able to count to 20. There is no need for your child to “get ahead” by having them learn how to read before kindergarten. Basic ABCs and counting skills will be a great start for them!
NOTE: kindergarten teachers often say that this item of “Academic Skills” is of less importance to them than the previous 3 items because the academics will all be covered anyway. These are skills that children will work on throughout elementary school, so do not stress if your child cannot do all of these well- they will get a lot of practice!
Want more information?
Our podcast and blog, The Education Breakdown, provides lots of resources for parents. Check us out today!