Is Your Child Ready for Kindergarten?

Skills and Behaviors you can expect from most children at the beginning of kindergarten:

1. Emotional Development: follow simple rules and routines, express feelings/wants/needs and concern for other's feelings
2. Social Development: get along with others, share, participate in group activities, and follow simple instructions
3. Physical Development: run/jump/hop/climb, use pencils/crayons/scissors in some fashion, dress and meet toileting needs independently
4. Language/Vocab: try to write first name and recognize own name (see our Family Fun tab and read "Learning on the Go" for a fun way to teach them their name), hold a book correctly, recognize letters of the alphabet, listen to stories read to them, use 5-6 word sentences, recognize and say simple rhymes, and sing simple songs
5. Math: count to 10, sort objects by colors/shapes/size, understand simple concepts of time such as day/night/today/tomorrow/yesterday

What can you do to help them prepare? Begin instilling these habits and routines in your child early to help them succeed!

• Read books aloud every day
• Talk to your child about topics they are interested in
• Point out and read signs in their environment, such as stop signs, menus and grocery items
• Read books about feelings, help them label and talk about their feelings (see our Family Fun tab & follow the link to "Simple Songs" where you can print off free Emotion Picture Cards)
• Answer your child's questions
• Point at and discuss shapes and colors at home
• Cook together, have them measure the ingredients
• Identify and eat healthy foods
• Count throughout the day 
• Get a library card

What things have you done with your kids to help prepare them for school?

*Courtesy of: The NKU Readiness Committee   

For more info about kindergarten readiness contact your local school district.