Kindergarten Readiness | RGCDFS Preschool

Is Your Child Ready
for Kindergarten?

What is School Readiness?

School readiness is defined as both "the preparedness of a child to engage in and benefit from learning experiences and the ability of a school to meet the needs of all students enrolled in publicly funded kindergarten." Worth adding is the fact that "when schools, families, and community service providers work collaboratively to ensure that every child is ready for higher levels of learning in academic content," children's preparedness for Kindergarten is strengthened (State Board of Education, 2023).

A "Guide" to Your Child's School Readiness

To ensure a smooth transition into Kindergarten, it’s recommended that your child masters the skills* listed below.

Life Skills:

Has self-help skills
Uses the restroom independently
Zips buttons, and buckles clothing
Has knowledge of the world
Can use scissors, pencils, and other writing tools
Can copy, trace, cut, and draw
Can follow basic safety rules

Talk with your child about yourself, the world, and your community.

Talk about your hobbies.
Talk about your family traditions, celebrations, and memories.
Talk about outings and activities.
At the grocery store, ask about items in the store and the jobs people perform there.
Talk about the seasons, traffic signs, and animals.

Academic Skills:

Can state first and last name
Writes first name
Can identify some letters and match letters to sounds
Can identify basic colors and numbers up to 20
Can pretend to read and write left to right and top to bottom
Enjoys listening to and talking about story books
Asks and answers questions relates to the story

Social Skills

Can play cooperatively with others
Takes turns
Resolves conflict verbally
Can label and express feelings and emotions
Can follow classroom routines
Independently switches from one activity to the next
Attends school regularly and on time
Can pay attention to a story or activity for 10 minutes
Can follow two-step directions

Read a variety of books to help your child develop knowledge about his or her world.

Read books that rhyme.
Read books about numbers, letters or topics of interest.
Read books that are culturally diverse.
Read books that will prepare your child to face various social situations.

Practice these healthy habits.

Limit your child's screen time (television, video games, etc.)
Engage in regular face-to-face interactions and conversations with your child (practice and model active listening during these conversations).
Model positive social and emotional behaviors (this can even be done through role-playing).
Read age-appropriate books about social situations.
Promote empathy through discussions.
Encourage teamwork.

*Portions adapted from the Colorado State Library's Getting Ready for Kindergarten Brochure.

http://hermes.cde.state.co.us/drupal/islandora/object/co:7616/datastream/OBJ/view

Successful Ways to Help Your Child at Home

Provide activities that build skills for small muscles in the hands, such as cutting out shapes with scissors or stringing beads.
Give many chances for your child to draw, print, and cut using markers, pencils, crayons, and safety scissors
Read aloud to your child daily!
Play games that teach your child to follow directions and take turns.
Be a good example.
Encourage children to talk about feelings, and share books that help explore emotions.

Children's play is their work. They learn by experimenting and doing

Most children entering Kindergarten can perform the tasks listed in this section. Your child's development may be a little slower or faster in a certain area, have patience, trust your judgement, and reach out if you feel it is necessary!

References