What Kids Should Know Before Starting Kindergarten
Kindergarten is an exciting time, both for you and your little one. However, it can be difficult to tell if they’ve mastered all the necessary skills to succeed. Here’s a general guide on what kids should know before starting kindergarten.
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Basic Language Skills Will Enhance Their Experience
Kids should know the basics of language before moving up to the kindergarten classroom. Most importantly, they should be able to verbalize their wants and needs. Strong indicators of this are kiddos who greet other children, speak up for themselves, and ask their teacher when they need something.
While your child doesn’t need to know the entire alphabet, they should also know how to write their first name legibly. However, if you’d like to work on their letters with them, this super fun alphabet bingo game can be a fun way to do so.
Sharing Sets Kids Up for Success
Sharing is a social skill many young children struggle with. However, it’s important to develop, as your little one will need to share books, materials, and toys in their kindergarten classroom. If they are having a tough time with this, learn some ways to encourage your kids to share their toys. Practice makes perfect—you just need to find a method that works for your child.
Fine and Gross Motor Skills Allow for Independence
Having a good grasp on their fine and gross motor skills will make it much easier for your child to be independent in a classroom setting. Your child’s teacher will not be able to give them their undivided attention, as they will have an entire room full of children to look after. Because of this, it is essential that your child be able to care for themselves in the most basic sense.
A good indicator of this is your child’s ability to dress themselves. All the buttons, zippers, and snaps help develop your child’s fine motor skills. If they can dress themselves largely without help, they should be ready for the Kindergarten classroom. However, they don’t need to be able to tie their shoes yet. Just pick out a great pair of Velcro sneakers if they haven’t mastered this skill.
These are the basic skills your child should know before starting kindergarten. If they have these down, they’ll be all set for the first day of school!
