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This list was created based upon the following:

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by Jenae -
This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy.

What a 3 or 4 year old needs to know...

Here is a list of kindergarten readiness skills based upon a Preschool Inventory given to children at the very end of our local Pre-Kindergarten program. I was looking through my old student-teaching notebook and came across this list (granted, it is six years old). It was used as both a guiding document as well as an assessment at the end of the year. I did not come up with this list!

Related Post: 33 Simple Ways To Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten

Please keep in mind as you look over this list that kids learn best with hands-on experiences, not memorization or drill practice! These early years with our children should be about fostering a love to play, explore, and learn! Also, it is important to note that our children are all different and gifted in unique ways. Obviously, if your child has special needs, exceptionalism, or is delayed in a particular area, this won't necessarily be relevant to your child. This is simply a guide...not something to stress about!

Finally, all areas of development are of equal importance to young children! Gross motor and social development tasks are just as important as cognitive and pre-reading tasks at this age. Also, it is important to note that there is no prerequisite (besides age) for children to go to public schools here in the United States. Although it would be ideal for each child to come into kindergarten already mastering these skills, this is obviously not the reality for many children. Schools are prepared to meet the needs of individual students, regardless of their current ability.
Have fun learning together through games and various experiences while still encouraging your child's natural creativity!
Related Post: 35+ Alphabet Activities and Crafts for Preschoolers

Need help preparing your child for kindergarten?

Getting ready for Kindergarten is a simple resource that will show you step by step how to have your child kindergarten ready, whether you are a first time parent, a carer or home school.

I wrote this ebook with my friend Becky from Your Modern Family exploring the topic of kindergarten readiness much more thoroughly.

Click on the image below to get your copy now...

Kindergarten Readiness: Personal and Social Development

Approach to learning

Shows eagerness and curiosity as a learner

Persists in task and seeks help when encountering a problem

Is generally pleasant and cooperative

Self-Control

Follows rules and routines

Manages transitions (going from one activity to the next)

Demonstrates normal activity level

Interactions with Others

Interacts easily with one or more children

Interacts easily with familiar adults

Participates in group activities

Plays well with others

Takes turns and shares

Cleans up after play

Conflict Resolution

Seeks adult help when needed to resolve conflicts

Uses words to resolve conflicts

Kindergarten Readiness: Language and Literacy

Listening

Listens with understanding to directions and conversations

Follows one-step directions

Follows two-step directions

Speaking

Speaks clearly enough to be understood without contextual clues

Relates experiences with some understanding of sequences of events

Literature and Reading

Listens with interest to stories read aloud

Shows interest in reading-related activities

Retells information from a story

Sequences three pictures to tell a logical story

Related Post: 5 Fun Ways To Encourage More Reading In Your Home

Writing

Uses pictures to communicate ideas

Uses scribbles, shapes, and letter-like symbols to write words or ideas

Alphabet Knowledge

Recites/sings alphabet

Matches upper-case letters

Matches lower-case letters

Identifies upper-case letters

Identifies lower-case letters

Related Post: Alphabet Crafts for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Kindergarten Readiness: Mathematical Thinking

Patterns and Relationships

Sorts by color, shape, and size

Orders or seriates several objects on the basis of one attribute

Recognizes simple patterns and duplicates them

Number concept and operations

Rote counts to 20

Counts objects with meaning to 10

Matches numerals

Identifies by naming, numerals 0-10

Geometry and spatial relations

Identifies 4 shapes- circle, square, rectangle, triangle

Demonstrates concepts of positional/directional concepts (up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, beside/between, top/bottom, inside/outside, above/below, high/low, right/left, off/on, first/last, far/near, go/stop).

Related Post: Free Printable Math Pack For Preschoolers
Measurement
Shows understanding of and uses comparative words (big/little, large/small, short/long, tall/short, slow/fast, few/many, empty/full, less/more.

If this feels overwhelming...

Getting ready for Kindergarten is a simple resource that will show you step by step how to have your child kindergarten ready, whether you are a first time parent, a carer or home school.

Click on the pic below to get your copy now...

Kindergarten Readiness: Physical Development

Gross-Motor Skills

Pedals and steers a tricycle

Jumps in place, landing on two feet

Jumps consecutively- 7 jumps

Balances on one foot for 5 seconds

Hops on one foot 2-3 hops

Hops on one foot- 6 ft.

Throws a ball with direction- 5 ft.

Catches a thrown ball with arms and body

Climbs a playground ladder

Skips smoothly for 20 feet

Fine-Motor Skills

Stacks 10, one-inch blocks

Strings 4 1/2″ beads in two minutes

Completes a seven piece interlocking puzzle

Makes a pancake, snake, and ball from playdough

Grasps pencil correctly

Copies: vertical line, horizontal line, circle, cross, square, V, triangle

Copies first name

Prints first name without a model

Grasps scissors correctly

Cuts within 1/4″ of a 6″ straight line on construction paper

Cuts out a 3″ square on construction paper

Cuts out a 3″ triangle on construction paper

Cuts out a 3″ circle on construction paper

Uses a glue stick appropriately

Uses appropriate amount of glue for tasks

Kindergarten Readiness: The Arts

Creative Arts

Identifies 10 colors: red, yellow, blue, green, orange, purple, black, white, brown, pink

Uses a variety of art materials for tactile experience and exploration

Music/Movement

Participates in group music experiences

Participates in creative movement/dance

Related Post: Little Big Dinosaur Song

Creative Drama

Makes believe with objects

Takes on pretend roles and situations

Remember parents, this list is just a guide. If you're looking for some suggestions on practical things you can do to prepare your child for Kindergarten, check out 33 Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten. You can download and print a list with simple, easy activities that will help to ensure your child is ready! This article was first published March 2012. Updated 2018.

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Kindergarten Readiness: 71 Things Your Child Needs to Know

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by Jenae - This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy. Here is a list of kindergarten readiness skills based upon a Preschool Inventory given to children at the very end of our local Pre-Kindergarten program. I was looking through my old student-teaching notebook and came across this list (granted, it is six years old).

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Kindergarten is coming soon!!!!  Oh my goodness, what DO WE DO?!?!?!?!?!?

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Kindergarten is coming soon!!!!  Oh my goodness, what DO WE DO?!?!?!?!?!?

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o Always encourage pretend play…occasionally join your child in his fantasy world.

o Teach your child to recognize the following colors:  red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, brown, and pink.

o Use a variety of materials to let your child paint, draw and explore!

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o Give your child plenty of opportunities for outdoor play: running, jumping, and climbing.

o Play catch on a regular basis.

o Practice skipping.

o Stack blocks together.

o Let your child use child-safe scissors to cut out a variety of shapes.

o Teach your child to write his name (capital for the first letter and lowercase for the remaining letters).  To start, write his name using a highlighter and encourage him to trace over it.  Be sure that he forms the letters from the top to the bottom.

o Ensure your child is holding her pencil correctly:

o Play with playdough regularly.  Roll, squish, stamp, and even cut it!

o Encourage your child to cut out various shapes using child-safe scissors.

o String large beads to make a necklace.

o Play with an interlocking puzzle together.

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o Verbally give your child specific one-step and two-step directions and encourage him to follow through.

o Read to your child for a combined total of at least 20 minutes each day.

o While reading, point out how to hold a book (right-side up with the spine on the left) and the orientation in which we read the words and look at the pictures (left to right).

o After reading, ask your child what happened in the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

o Give your child plenty of opportunities to draw (without coloring books).  Ask her to draw the things she sees around her. o Teach your child the uppercase and lowercase letters and, most importantly, the sounds each letter makes through play and games.

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o Encourage your child to persist in tasks when encountering a problem by giving him tasks slightly above his current ability level.  When your child cannot find a solution on his own, encourage him to calmly ask for help.

o Play board games to practice taking turns. o Set up several play dates with friends of various ages.

o Allow your child to stay with other trusted adults for a few hours at a time prior to kindergarten (especially if she has rarely been in the care of someone other than mom and dad).

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*Have your child help you sort items according to color, size, and shape (laundry, blocks, silverware, toys, and other household items work well).
o Teach your child to make various patterns (red, blue, red, blue).  Garage sale dot stickers or craft pom-poms are great for this purpose.
o Practice counting aloud to 20 while driving in the car.

o Teach your child numerals 1-10.
o Count objects in your home.  Have your child point to each object as she counts.
o Go on a shape hunt.  Point out circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles to your child while you are taking or walk or grocery shopping.
o Talk about positional and directional concepts like up/down, over/under, in/out, behind/in front of, top/bottom, beside/between, off/on, stop/go.
o Talk about opposite words (big/little, empty/full, slow/fast).