How to Tell If Your Preschooler Is Ready for Kindergarten

If you have already begun the task of choosing where your preschooler will attend kindergarten, you know it can be a challenging process. Not to mention, the anxiety that comes with wondering if they’re ready for such a big step!

“As parents plan for kindergarten enrollment, it’s important to remember that while many schools accept students based on age, a child’s readiness really relies on social, emotional, motor and language development,” said Dominique Ciccarelli, Ed. M., education spokesperson for Kumon North America. “The habits and attitudes with which children approach learning are important factors when it comes to school success. Research shows that kindergarten readiness characteristics go hand-in-hand with academic performance.”

So how do you get your Mini ready for the leap into kindergarten? Below are five skill sets (and signs of readiness) that can give them a boost once the term begins!

Attention and Following Directions

• Focus on activity for 15 minutes
• Independently complete a task before starting another
• Follow two-step directions
• Respond to their first and last name

Social Development

• Take turns and share
• Regulate emotions and appropriately express feelings
• Interact well with other children
• Use 5 to 6 word sentences

Language Arts and Writing

• Recite the alphabet
• Recognize upper and lower-case letters
• Identify letters out of context
• Know some letter sounds

Number Recognition and Counting

• Recognize numbers up to 20
• Count in sequence up to 20
• Count, sort, and put objects in order
• Identify shapes and patterns

Motor Skills

• Hold a pencil correctly
• Properly use scissors
• Trace lines and write some letters and numbers
• Write the letters in their name

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You can learn more about the Kumon Preschool Program here or take a look at the adorable Warby Parker Kids Collection That Just Launched.

Opening Image: Ainsley / Carlisle for Mini Magazine