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Kindergarten Readiness Checklist: 7 Basic Skill Sets We Help You Practice

For children and parents alike, enrolling in kindergarten may represent a significant step in their development and seem pretty scary. To make the process easier, I’ve arranged this kindergarten readiness checklist based on the most typical struggles I overcome with my youngest students, and I’m gladly sharing my insights with you.

Key points 

• Your child’s entry into formal schooling at kindergarten may be less of a shock if you prepare them for the change.
• The kindergarten readiness checklist contains 7 sets of skills regarding basic command of math, language, writing, and reading, along with social, gross motor, and fine motor skills.
• You can print and download the checklist in PDF from Brighterly right on this page. The same applies to free worksheets to practice math and reading skills before kindergarten.
• The Brighterly math and reading platform can help your kid before and after kindergarten through 1:1 personalized sessions.

What is the readiness assessment for kindergarten?

A readiness assessment for kindergarten is a set of criteria to determine whether the kid’s level of development is sufficient to join kindergarten. It helps understand if they can quickly adapt to the learning process and not fall behind the group while learning.

Readiness assessment frequently takes the form of a kindergarten expectations checklist that helps parents understand what kindergarten teachers’ views are on children’s academic readiness.

What should my child know before kindergarten? Checklist for parents

Here is Brighterly’s kindergarten readiness checklist that will help you explore if your kid can join kindergarten. I’ve grouped the skills into 7 categories: 1) math, 2) gross motor skills, 3) fine motor skills, 4) social skills, 5) language command, 6) writing, and 7) reading.

Preparing your child for kindergarten checklist: Math skills

• Counting and recognizing numbers from 1 to 10 (and to 20 sometimes)
• Writing numbers from 1 to 10
• Understanding basic addition and subtraction
• Sorting by size, color, and shape in patterns (ABAB, AABB)
• Identifying four shapes: rectangle, circle, triangle, and square

Gross motor skills

• How to climb stairs
• How to bounce a ball and catch it in the process
• How to hop on one foot
• How to jump with both feet and balance
• How to run

Fine motor skills

• How to use a pencil and crayon with control
• How to use scissors
• How to write actual letters and differentiate marks and shapes
• How to copy basic shapes
• How to join a simple puzzle

Reading checklist for kindergarten

• Find the first and last pages in their books
• Recognize signs, familiar logos, and letter names
• Recite the alphabet and differentiate between uppercase and lowercase letters
• Recognize rhyming words (like bat and cat).
• Listen to stories

Social skills

• Interact with fellow kids
• Pay attention and learn from an adult by following their lead, listening, and watching
• Remember their birthday
• Clean up when they are done playing
• Follow the rules and routines
• Ask questions and ask for help

Language skills

• Use words to express what they want and need
• Make comparisons and differentiate the relationship between first/last, big/little, and under/over
• Communicate in complete sentences to be understood by others all the time

Writing skills

• Write their name and recognize them in print
• Write notes or words for others
• Try to draw, write, or scribble

Printable kindergarten readiness checklist

To make your preparation a bit easier, I’ve compiled this free printable colorful poster you can print to show your kid. You can also turn the whole preparation thing into a fun quest where your kid races for the reward (my young students love it!).   

Kindergarten readiness checklist in PDF

If you’re more comfortable with downloading the PDF, you can get this free printable kindergarten readiness checklist in digital format under the link – Сhecklist for parents.

Kindergarten math skills checklist

The basic math skills for a kindergartener are:

• Counting and recognizing numbers from 1 to 10 (and to 20 sometimes)
• Writing 1-10 number
• Understanding basic addition and subtraction.
• Sorting by size, color, and shape in patterns (ABAB, AABB).
• Identifying four shapes: rectangle, circle, triangle, and square.

Before joining kindergarten, kids should fit the basic cognitive requirements that would help them be more confident among peers, learn with ease, and not fall behind. In terms of primary math knowledge, what do kindergarteners learn includes basic counting and shapes recognition, along with the simplest addition, subtraction, and sorting operations.

How can kindergarten readiness worksheets improve math skills?

Once your child starts practicing in Pre-K (Preschool) math worksheets, you can be sure that each topic is covered consistently and logically, with each gap clearly visible.  

If you feel your kid’s math confidence is not strong yet, consider these worksheets in combination with the printable kindergarten checklist PDF from Brighterly for practicing. Together, they are a great way for a kid to start learning math and teach the basic concepts in an effective yet engaging way.

These colorful worksheets are easily accessible to parents and printable, so you can always have them handy and work on necessary topics.

Kindergarten checklist for parents: Gross motor skills

Gross motor skills are extensive movements kids make with their arms, feet, legs, or entire body. Such skills can be quite challenging for the kid due to a lack of practice, poor spatial awareness, reduced balance, and other factors.

If you don’t take care of these skills, your child won’t be able to control themselves in an unknown environment. It greatly stresses out the kids and makes them more vulnerable and insecure.

How to master the gross motor movement kindergarten goals checklist:

• Consistently practice new tasks in the same place with the same items. If needed, repeat the same task for several days or even weeks. 
• Teach a kid one step at a time, making sure they have made progress, no matter how big or small.
• Even if you slightly extend or change a task, assume that the child is learning a whole new thing.
• Once you explain something, always support your verbal instructions with a visual demonstration. 
• While in a group, let the kid watch their peers complete a task first. This will give them more time to learn how to perform a specific activity. 
• Steadily shift the balance between assistance and independence to teach kids self-confidence.

Kindergarten readiness skills checklist: Fine motor skills

Fine motor skills are precise, small-muscle movements of the fingers, wrists, hands, and other parts of the body. They’re used for tasks like buttoning clothes, writing, and using utensils. 

Fine motor skills involve coordination, dexterity, and accuracy. They’re crucial for conducting daily activities in kindergarten, developing kids’ independence, and overall cognitive and physical growth. That’s why you need to practice some educational activities to help kids make more accurate, precise movements and train their patience and attention.

Daily fine motor activities to make your kid ready for kindergarten checklist:

• Placing coins in a piggy bank
• Peeling and placing stickers
• Threading and lacing
• Popping bubbles
• Sorting beads or coins
• Practicing scissor skills (make sure they know how to do it safely!)
• Doing simple puzzles
• Building sculptures and sand castles

Kindergarten reading skills checklist

Reading is an essential skill that a child should ideally develop before entering kindergarten. It’s necessary as it helps build foundational literacy skills, such as print awareness and vocabulary. Reading also enhances memory, concentration, and critical thinking. Finally, it fosters empathy, imagination, and strong parent-child bonds.

How to improve this kindergarten reading checklist for your kid:

Let’s put this clearly: your kid cannot be perfect at reading before they enter kindergarten. However, at this time, you can start setting a regular practice for them and address any text-related questions they have.

Here’s how to do it:

• Dedicate a specific amount of time to reading every day, mark significant milestones, and reward your kid for completing them.
• Encourage your kid’s participation by asking them questions.
• Use different voices that correspond to the mood of the story.
• Explain unclear parts to improve comprehension and vocabulary.
• Let the kids decide what’s interesting for them to read to make the whole process more enjoyable.

Social kindergarten skills checklist

Social interaction is among the first things that kids stumble upon in kindergarten. It’s an inalienable part of every kid’s life, and it should be smooth and fun. This way, it helps kids to interact with peers in a healthy way — developing empathy, sharing, and conflict resolution, fostering teamwork, and making friendships.

How to teach social skills for kindergarten ready checklist:

• Be a model of good social behavior for your kid. Demonstrate emotional intelligence and foster connections with others.
• Practice role-playing (can be combined with reading) to help kids learn more about empathy and better recognize emotions.
• Practice active listening and asking questions.
• Show problem-solving skills whenever a conflict occurs.
• Dedicate time to explaining the difference between good and bad behavior.

Language kindergarten-ready checklist skills

Language is among the basic forms of communication, and since kindergarten is when kids start socializing, they need to keep up with their peers and understand what they are talking about. 

How to teach language skills for the kindergarten knowledge checklist:

• Encourage interactive play.
• Create environments filled with labels and visual aids to encourage exploration of new words.
• Be clear and descriptive while talking to a kid.
• Use storytelling and songs to teach new vocabulary and sentence structures.
• Ask open-ended questions to encourage conversation.
• Use repetition and hands-on activities to help children learn new words and sounds (e.g., while touching or tasting things).

Writing skills

Writing is not a must-have skill for kindergarten. But it’s important to teach its core to kids, as it contributes to their ability to comprehend words, build vocabulary, develop basic literacy, and express their feelings and emotions.

How to make your kid’s writing ready for kindergarten checklist:

• Use examples to show the usefulness of writing.
• Practice writing games.
• Use specific worksheets to practice calligraphy and writing separate letters or short words.
• Read while you write to develop vocabulary and improve reading.

What should kids know at the end of a kindergarten checklist?

At the end of kindergarten checklist, a kid should demonstrate the basic cognitive skillset to be on the same page with other kids after joining kindergarten. 

Then, all the skills in this readiness checklist should keep upgrading. For example, socialization and the ability to build strong connections with people will keep influencing a child’s life. Also, the role of math and reading skills will increase at school. Thus, investing in your kid’s development today will greatly help them build confidence and adapt to their surroundings. 

Conclusion

In this guide, I’ve shared my free kindergarten readiness checklist so you don’t need to worry about getting your kid prepared for this new stage of their lives. They don’t necessarily have to excel in all these seven skillsets I’ve mentioned, but I hope that knowing what to prepare for can reduce your anxiety.

If something doesn’t work the way you want, don’t rush. Remember that consistency and practice are keys to achieving great success in any sphere of learning!

But if you still feel that you need some professional help, you can always rely on Brighterly tutors. Just book free lesson and get a pro consultation!