What is Kindergarten Readiness?

It just hit you that your preschooler will be starting kindergarten in the fall! (Feeling all the feelings right now!) After you experienced all of the emotions from sadness to panic to excitement, you probably had a ton of questions speed through your mind, such as:

Is my preschooler ready for kindergarten?

What does it mean to be ready for kindergarten?

Am I supposed to prepare my preschooler for kindergarten?

What does my child need to know to be ready for kindergarten?

Why do I need to prepare my preschooler for kindergarten?

How do I prepare my preschooler for kindergarten?

Let’s start with the simple question of what it means to be ready for kindergarten and work our way up to how to prepare your child for kindergarten.

What is Kindergarten Readiness?

Kindergarten readiness is, simply, what skills a child needs in order to succeed throughout kindergarten. Kindergarten is typically the first experience of schooling a child has so it is important for them to feel comfortable, confident, and excited to learn. This first year of school might set the tone for the next several years of their school career, and we all want it to be a positive experience so that they want to continue their learning journey.

What Does My Child Need to Know to be Ready for Kindergarten?

Each state uses standards as a guideline for what a student needs to know at the end of each grade level. The standards are set in place as expectations for what your child should be prepared to learn in kindergarten. By understanding what your child will need to know by the end of kindergarten, I’ll help you work backwards to determine how to prepare your preschooler for the start of kindergarten.

Should Know by the End of Kindergarten

 Now that we know what a kindergartener should learn, let’s determine what concepts to introduce your preschooler to that might help your child to have a successful kindergarten year.

Things to Know Before Kindergarten

These things are not necessary to have a successful kindergarten year, but helping your child learn these concepts is likely to build your child’s confidence and prevent frustration during the kindergarten school year.  What other concepts do you think are beneficial for a preschooler to know before entering kindergarten?